Urinary incontinence
Having urinary incontinence means you pass urine unintentionally.
When and how this happens varies depending on the type of urinary incontinence you have.
It's a good idea to see your GP if you have urinary incontinence. It's a common problem, and seeing your GP can be the first step towards finding a way to effectively manage it.
Mostpeople withurinary incontinence have either stress incontinence or urge incontinence.
Stress incontinence is when you leak urine when your bladder is put under extra sudden pressurefor example, when you Cough . It's not related to feeling stressed.
Otheractivities that may cause urine to leak include:
The amount of urine passed is usually small, but stress incontinence cansometimes cause you to pass larger amounts, particularly if your bladder is very full.
Urge incontinence, or urgency incontinence, is when you feel a sudden and very intense need to pass urine and you're unable to delay going to the toilet. There's often only a few seconds between the need to urinate and the release of urine.
Your need to pass urine may be triggered by a sudden change of position, or even by the sound of running water. You may also pass urine during sex, particularly when you reach orgasm.
This type of incontinence often occurs as part of group of symptoms called overactive bladder syndrome, which is where the bladder muscle is more active than usual.
As well as sometimes causing urge incontinence,overactive bladder syndrome can also meanyou need to pass urine very frequently and you may need to get up several times during the night to urinate.
Mixed incontinence is when you have symptoms of both stress and urge incontinence. For example, you may leak urine if you cough or sneeze, and also experience very intense urges to pass urine.
Overflow incontinence, also called chronic urinary retention, occurs when the bladder cannot completely empty when you pass urine. This causes the bladder to swell above its usual size.
If you have overflow incontinence, you may pass small trickles of urine very often. It may also feel as though your bladder is never fully empty and you cannot empty it even when you try.
Urinary incontinence that's severe and continuous is sometimes known as total incontinence.
Total incontinence may cause you to constantly pass large amounts of urine, even at night. Alternatively, you may pass large amounts of urine only occasionally and leak small amounts in between.
The lower urinary tract comprises the bladder and the tube urine passes through out ofthe body (urethra).
Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) are common in men and women as they get older.
Theycan include:
Experiencing LUTS can make urinary incontinence more likely.
Read about urinary incontinence, which is the unintentional passing of urine. It's a common problem that's thought to affect millions of people worldwide.
Read about the symptoms of urinary incontinence. Having urinary incontinence means you pass urine unintentionally.
Read about the causes of urinary incontinence. Urinary incontinence occurs when the normal process of storing and passing urine is disrupted.
Read about diagnosing urinary incontinence. If you experience urinary incontinence, see your GP so they can determine the type of condition you have.
Read about non-surgical treatments for urinary incontinence. The treatment you receive will depend on the type of incontinence you have and the severity of your symptoms.
Read about surgical procedures for urinary incontinence, which may be recommended if other treatments are unsuccessful or unsuitable.
Kate first had symptoms of stress incontinence after having a hysterectomy. She suffered in silence for eight years before she sought help.