Urinary Incontinence in Women
What is urinary incontinence?
Urinary incontinence happens when you lose control of your bladder. In some cases, you may empty your bladder’s contents completely without meaning to. In other cases, you may experience only minor leakage. The condition may be temporary or chronic, depending on its cause. Urinary incontinence affects women more often than men in a 2-to-1 ratio. However, this condition can affect anyone and has many different causes. As you age, the muscles supporting your bladder tend to weaken, which can lead to urinary incontinence.
Many different health problems can also cause the condition. Symptoms can range from mild to severe and can be a sign of cancer, kidney stones, infection, among other causes. Urinary incontinence can interfere with your daily life and lead to potential accidents. A healthcare professional can also determine if a more serious medical condition may be the cause. They may also be able to treat the cause.
What are the types of urinary incontinence?
Urinary incontinence is divided into three general types. You can potentially experience more than one type at the same time.
Stress incontinence
Stress incontinence is triggered by certain types of physical activity. For example, you might lose control of your bladder when you’re:
- Exercising
- Coughing
- Sneezing
- Laughing
Such activities put stress on the sphincter muscle that holds urine in your bladder. The added stress can cause the muscle to release urine.
Urge incontinence
Urge incontinence occurs when you lose control of your bladder after experiencing a sudden and strong urge to urinate. Once that urge hits, you may not be able to make it to the toilet in time.
Overflow incontinence
Overflow incontinence can occur if you don’t completely empty your bladder when you urinate. Later, some of the remaining urine may leak from your bladder. This type of incontinence is sometimes called “dribbling.”
Mixed incontinence
Mixed incontinence refers to the presence of stress and urge incontinence. Most women who have urinary incontinence have a component of both stress and urge.
Functional incontinence
Unlike other types of incontinence, functional incontinence is caused by physical or mental barriers that may prevent someone from making it to the toilet in time. This can be due to cognitive issues, such as dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, muscular issues like arthritis, or neurological issues like stroke or spinal cord damage.
What are the causes and risk factors of urinary incontinence in women?
There are many potential causes and risk factors for urinary incontinence. Some risk factors can include:
- Having weakened bladder muscles, which can result from aging
- Having physical damage to your pelvic floor muscles, such as from childbirth
- Having an enlarged prostate
- Bladder cancer, which can put pressure on your bladder
- Having a neurological condition such as dementia, Alzheimer’s, or a physical condition that may prevent you from making it to the bathroom on time
- Having an infection, such as a urinary tract infection, bladder infection, kidney infection, or kidney stone
- Being pregnant
- Being overweight
- Having diabetes
- Going through menopause
Some of the conditions that cause urinary incontinence are easily treatable and only cause temporary urinary problems. Others are more serious and persistent. Common causes of urinary incontinence may include:
Aging
As you get older, the muscles supporting your bladder typically become weaker, which raises your risk for incontinence. To maintain strong muscles and a healthy bladder, it’s important to stay as active as you can, eat a diet rich in nutrients, and maintain a healthy weight. This may improve your chances of avoiding incontinence as you age.
Damage
Your pelvic floor muscles support your bladder. Damage to these muscles can cause incontinence. It can be caused by certain types of surgery, such as a hysterectomy. It’s also a common result of pregnancy and a traumatic vaginal delivery during childbirth.
Cancer
Bladder cancer can cause incontinence. In some cases, treatments for cancer can also make it harder for you to control your bladder. Even benign tumors can cause incontinence by blocking your flow of urine.
Other potential causes
Other potential causes of incontinence may include:
- Constipation
- Urinary tract infections (UTIs)
- Kidney or bladder stones
- Prostatitis, or inflammation of your prostate
- Interstitial cystitis, or a chronic condition that causes inflammation within your bladder
- Side effects from certain medications, such as blood pressure drugs, muscle relaxants, sedatives, and some heart medications
- Some lifestyle factors can also cause temporary bouts of incontinence. For example, drinking too much alcohol, caffeinated beverages, or other fluids can cause you to temporarily lose control of your bladder.
When to seek medical help
Any instance of incontinence is reason to seek medical help. It may be a symptom of a more serious condition that needs to be treated. Even if the underlying cause isn’t serious, incontinence can be a major disruption in your life.
What is the treatment for UI?
Fortunately, there are several nonsurgical treatments for urinary incontinence. From training your bladder and pelvic floor exercises to using a urethral support device, there are different options you can try to manage your symptoms.
Medical treatments for UI
Medications for urinary incontinence are specifically designed to treat urge incontinence. These medicines help prevent leaks by reducing the spasms in your bladder muscles that cause them.
Surgical treatments for UI
Bladder control surgery to treat stress incontinence is available and works by giving more support to the urethra. The support keeps you from leaking when pressure is put on your bladder or your urethra, putting you in control of when it’s time to go. There are also procedures available to treat urge incontinence.
