PATTI Singleton had already gone through more trauma than most women could ever imagine.

She had suffered several forms of cancer, and a serious car accident left her with spinal paralysis, but each time she battled through her illness and came out stronger.

But when the 61-year-old, of Wilton Road, Malvern, had another accident after the inflatable exercise ball she was using burst, little did she realise she was about to embark on what she describes as her "biggest challenge" to date.

She began suffering what is known as "stress incontinence", where a person "leaks" urine when they simply cough, laugh or do something physically exerting.

Urinary incontinence affects up to 15 per cent of women and occurs when the sphincter muscles along the urethra (the tube leading from the bladder) do not close properly, or when the bladder contracts when it should not.

Inadequate closure of the sphincter muscles is often caused when the muscles and the nerves of the pelvic floor have been damaged, sometimes by giving birth, by the menopause, a chronic cough or an accident.

Suffering continence problems completely changed Patti's life, she and her husband, who had been married for just two years, became distant as he struggled to come to terms with her illness, and became less and less affectionate.

She had to start wearing special pads and was constantly in fear that people would realise she suffered the condition just by looking at her.

"I became terribly self-conscious because I thought I smelt and I changed my pads all the time," she said.

She spent hundreds of pounds taking all her clothes to the dry cleaners, again fearful that they smelt of urine.

After pelvic floor exercises failed to do the trick, Patti eventually confided her problem to her sister, and went to see her GP, who told her there was nothing she could do.

Refusing to except a lifetime of problems, she changed doctors and was referred to the specialist urogynaecology unit at Worcestershire Royal Hospital - one of just a few in the country.

Just three weeks ago she underwent TVT surgery - a radical new 30-minute procedure that can be done under local anaesthetic and sees a mesh passed under the urethra to support it.

Patti described the surgery as her "miracle" and no longer suffers continence problems.

"It's taking a while to mentally get used to being fine again, I even find myself coughing just to test everything is ok," she laughed.

And 41-year-old Suzanne Hutchinson has also undergone the surgery at the Royal, much to her relief.

Suzanne, of Malvern Road, Powick, started suffering stress incontinence after an accident as a youngster, and the illness became worse following the birth of her sons Daniel, now aged 15, and Matthew, 14.

"I leaked when I coughed, laughed or jumped and drinking alcohol or coffee just made it worse," she said.

"I couldn't do silly things, like run for a bus and I used to allow extra time to do things to try and minimise the problem so people wouldn't find out what was wrong.

"I stopped doing things like aerobics and kicking the football around the garden with my children.

"Going anywhere was an issue, I had to know that somewhere had a toilet nearby otherwise I'd panic."

Suzanne lived with the illness for years in silence after physiotherapy failed to work and she felt she had nowhere else to turn.

But after the pioneering surgery "life is brilliant," says Suzanne, and she is keen for other women to know there is help out there.

"I can now get on a trampoline with my children - and even do somersaults - it's a complete change of life.

"I've started playing tennis with the boys in the park without stressing where the nearest toilets are and am socialising a lot more."

The brave women chose to share their experiences to mark Continence Awareness Week, which started on Monday and runs until Sunday.

The week aims to encourage women not to be shy about the condition and seek help.

Both Patti and Suzanne said they are concerned as they initially had problems gaining help from their GPs.

But they stressed how "fantastic" Worcestershire Acute Hospital NHS Trust's urogynaecology services are, and urged women to push their doctor's to refer them to the trust.

Helen Greenham, nurse specialist in urogynaecology for the trust, said: "There are many ways to treat continence problems and its not just a case of having surgery, sometimes drugs can work.

"Continence problems affects all people and is undiscriminating so I would say please contact your doctor and get help.

"When you come to us you have a chance to talk everything through and we make you feel comfortable, there will be no need to feel embarrassed."

For more information about the awareness week or the condition, call the Continence Foundation on 0845 345 0165, or email continence-help@dial.pipex.com