The World Health Organization marked World Health Day Wednesday, an annual observance with a theme this year of “building a fairer, healthier world.”

The message from WHO is the pandemic revealed that race, ethnicity and economic class can cause health care disparities, but gender also plays a role. How health services are organized and provided, as well as discrimination aimed at women and girls, puts their health and well-being at risk.

The organization’s message fits right in with the effort by a Beverly woman and her doctor as they try to shed light on a disparity related to women’s health.

At 22, Meghan Jones came down with a serious kidney infection that left her with a frequent need to urinate along with external pelvic pain.

Doctors told her she would have to live with the condition, known as interstitial cystitis, for the rest of her life. With that diagnosis, she unofficially joined the ranks of 50 million Americans — mostly women — who suffer from incontinence due to a variety of causes, including illness, injury, childbirth, aging and neurological issues.

“The biggest problem was not sleeping,” said Jones, who only managed to rest for two-hour stretches before having to go to the bathroom. “You get exhausted,” she said, adding that the lack of sleep caused depression and made her vulnerable to other health issues.

Jones, now 30, is all about women’s health. She plans to train as a doula and eventually provide personal support services for women and their families related to pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period. And she wants to educate people about incontinence as an important health issue.

Women suffer from incontinence twice as often as men due to differences in physical anatomy, according to the US. Department of Health & Human Services Office on Women’s Health. The opening through which urine passes, the urethra, is shorter than for a man. A woman’s pelvic floor is different and more prone to the forces of gravity. Damage to the urethra’s sphincter muscle over time and due to childbirth can keep it from closing properly.

Jones’ condition, related to what is called “urge incontinence,” often is treated with medications.

There’s also “stress incontinence,” which occurs with sudden strenuous movement, laughing or coughing. It’s often treated with Kegel exercises that strengthen pelvic muscles or by surgically

reinforcing the pelvic floor.

For either type of incontinence, many health insurance providers only cover surgical solutions at 30 %, and doctors can be reluctant to prescribe surgery, said Dr. Kenneth Finkelstein, a board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist, specializing in urogynecology.

“Adult loss of bladder control is never normal, which is why I get aggravated every time I see an adult diaper commercial,” said Finkelstein, who is affiliated with Advocate Health Care and sees patients at offices in Evergreen Park and Mokena. “Millions of otherwise healthy adults suffer from incontinence, which can severely impact quality of life.”

Fortunately, Jones was a fighter and refused to give up on herself. After two years of researching treatment options on the internet, she found Finkelstein.

He had a modern, permanent solution in mind, but Jones’ health insurance provider, like many others, required that nonsurgical measures be attempted first.

In Jones’ case, persistence paid off. She was able to undergo implantation of a sacral nerve stimulator.

“Sacral neuromodulation been around for a while,” Finkelstein said. “The idea is to send electrical impulses to the nerves that control the bladder so that it functions properly.” Surgery is minimally invasive.

Prior to the actual surgery, Jones was outfitted with a trial device.

“The night of the trial, I slept 12 hours,” she said. “I tell people, this saved my life!”

With a nerve stimulator permanently installed in one of her buttocks, she resumed living life. She took up substitute teaching at St. Linus Catholic Elementary School in Oak Lawn, and even gave birth at home to her son Bobby, who turns 2 this month.

“It was great, because I wasn’t looking for a bathroom during the half-hour drive to my parents’ house, and I could sleep,” she said.

As a precaution, Jones switched off the device during her pregnancy.

“Sadly, the symptoms came back,” she said. Which convinced her more than ever of the stimulator’s importance.

In October, Jones underwent a quick outpatient procedure to install a smaller, newer device manufactured by Axonics. It’s about the size of a zip drive, rechargeable and lasts about 15 years.

“It’s much better,” she said. “I work out a lot, and you could actually see the other one through my clothes.”

Jones considers herself lucky because she and her doctor persevered in finding the right treatment.

And in the wake of World Health Day 2021, she said it’s important to be persistent in addressing their issues.

“Women need to be advocates for their rights and their health,” Jones said. “They need to find a doctor who will listen to them.”

Susan DeGrane is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.