About
Urinary incontinence is the loss of bladder control. The severity can range from occasional drops of urine to regular leakage that soaks your clothing.
Types
There are different types of urinary incontinence, including:
- Stress-related incontinence: Leakage when you put pressure on your bladder by coughing, sneezing, lifting heavy objects, laughing or exercise.
- Urge-related incontinence: Sudden, intense urge to urinate followed by involuntary loss of urine. This can include getting up more than once at night to urinate.
- Overflow-related incontinence: Frequent dribbling of urine from a bladder that doesn’t completely empty.
- Functional-related incontinence: Leakage from a physical or mental impairment.
Symptoms
- Leakage of urine during coughing, sneezing, laughing or physical activity
- Leakage of urine with strong urge to urinate while trying to reach the restroom
- Occasional leakage
- Wet clothing on a daily basis
Risk Factors & Prevention
Causes:
Urinary incontinence can be caused by everyday habits, medical conditions or physical problems. You can have temporary urinary incontinence from certain foods, medications or an infection. Urinary incontinence can be caused by other changes in the body such as pregnancy, childbirth, aging, weight gain, menopause or chronic constipation.