Somer Chval was just 21 years old and a new mother when she began to have bladder problems.

Chval says it started after her first child was born. She would leak urine anytime she would cough, sneeze or exercise.

After a few years the leaking was so bad she actually altered her regular routine.

She stopped playing sports and didn't exercise as much.

Chval suffered from a condition called stress incontinence which is a loss of urine when you exert pressure on your bladder.

She thought it was normal not realizing it was a problem.

Until one day she decided she had had enough and found the help she needed at the Panama City Urological Center.

Physician's Assistant Bea Soto says bladder problems are becoming an epidemic.

"There are 25 million people running around out there who are actually jailed by these bladder conditions. They don't want to go anywhere.

Men, women, young adults. I have seen as early as 5 years of age and as high as 104.

Chval went through the centers specialized program.

"The program entails a lot of patient education. She really shows you what's going on with your body," says Chval.

The center uses a computer program that reveals which pelvic muscles are weakest.

It then comes up with a tailor made treatment which for most patients only involves Kegel exercises that help strengthen pelvic muscles.

Soto says they have an 85% to 100% success rate.

"With the Kegels we can now tell them how many to do based on the testing we do with this equipment so we don't overshoot or undershoot."

For more information you can call the Urological Center at 785-8558.

The Center is located at 80 Doctors Dr. in Panama City.