Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsTypesCausesRisk FactorsIn PublicTreatmentsCoping Tips
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Types
Causes
Risk Factors
In Public
Treatments
Coping Tips
Urinary incontinence, which some refer to simply as incontinence, is the loss of bladder control, which causes mild to severe leakage of urine (pee).Incontinence is a common and frustrating condition affecting over 25 million people in the United States. It affects more females than males and has various causes, symptoms, and treatments.
A Note on Gender and Sex TerminologyVerywell Health acknowledges thatsex and genderare related concepts, but they are not the same. To accurately reflect our sources, this article uses terms like “female,” “male,” “woman,” and “man” as the sources use them.
A Note on Gender and Sex Terminology
Verywell Health acknowledges thatsex and genderare related concepts, but they are not the same. To accurately reflect our sources, this article uses terms like “female,” “male,” “woman,” and “man” as the sources use them.
Different Types of Incontinence
The fivetypes of urinary incontinencediffer in their causes and symptoms. Categorizing them helps direct the appropriate course of treatment, as follows:
How Severe Is My Incontinence?Incontinence treatment is partly based on results from the incontinence severity index (ISI). This scoring system grades the severity based on how often you have bladder leakage (e.g., never, monthly, several times monthly, several times weekly, daily) and how much urine you lose (e.g., none, drops, splashes, more).Each answer is scored, and the total is added to determine whether your incontinence is “slight,” “moderate,” “severe,” or “very severe.”
How Severe Is My Incontinence?
Incontinence treatment is partly based on results from the incontinence severity index (ISI). This scoring system grades the severity based on how often you have bladder leakage (e.g., never, monthly, several times monthly, several times weekly, daily) and how much urine you lose (e.g., none, drops, splashes, more).Each answer is scored, and the total is added to determine whether your incontinence is “slight,” “moderate,” “severe,” or “very severe.”
Incontinence treatment is partly based on results from the incontinence severity index (ISI). This scoring system grades the severity based on how often you have bladder leakage (e.g., never, monthly, several times monthly, several times weekly, daily) and how much urine you lose (e.g., none, drops, splashes, more).
Each answer is scored, and the total is added to determine whether your incontinence is “slight,” “moderate,” “severe,” or “very severe.”
What Conditions Are Linked to Incontinence?
This includes structures like:
Incontinence may also be due to the weakness or dysfunction of thepelvic floor musclesthat assist with the voluntary control of urine flow.
Each type of incontinence involves a range of possible causes, bothacute(sudden onset and short-lived) andchronic(persistent).
Urge Incontinence
OAB affects roughly 1 in 8 people, mostly those over 40.
Causes of OAB and urge incontinence include:
How Overactive Bladder Is Treated
Stress Incontinence
Stress incontinence is associated with the weakness of the pelvic floor muscles and/or the urinary sphincters. Laughing, coughing, exercising, lifting heavy weights, or having sex can all increase abdominal pressure, compressing the bladder and causing bladder leakage.
Unlike urge incontinence, which tends to affect older adults, stress incontinence can also affect younger people, also more female youths than male.
Conditions associated with stress incontinence include:
Overflow Incontinence
Overflow incontinence is due to the poor contraction of the detrusor muscle and/or the impaired urine flow out of the bladder (known asurinary retention). These things can cause the bladder to overfill until urine leaks out, persistently or with occasional dribbling.
Unlike other forms of urinary incontinence, overflow incontinence is slightly more common in males than females (due mainly toprostateproblems).
Conditions associated with overflow incontinence include:
Functional Incontinence
Functional incontinence is when your bladder andurinary tractare functioning normally, but you have physical or mental limitations that prevent you from getting to the bathroom in time.
Functional incontinence can affect anyone of any sex but is more common in older adults and people with disabilities.
Conditions associated with functional incontinence include:
Who Develops Incontinence?
Incontinence can affect anyone, but certain groups are more vulnerable to bladder due to risk factors. Some of these factors are non-modifiable, meaning that you cannot change them, while others are modifiable and can be changed.
Some of the major risk factors for incontinence are:
What Is Pelvic Floor Dysfunction?
How to Deal With Public Incontinence
Incontinence can be frustrating on its own but can be even more challenging when you are out with friends, at work, or participating in sports. The stress may be further amplified when you are traveling or in a sexual relationship.
You can do several things before and during a public outing to reduce stress.
Before going out:
When you are out in public:
Incontinence Care Supplies
The best way to reduce the stress of incontinence is to prepare an emergency kit for any possible mishap while out in public.
The emergency kit might include:
Treating What Is Causing Incontinence
The best way to avoid the frustration of urinary incontinence is to seek the appropriate care. Your primary care provider or gynecologist (a specialist in female reproductive health) may be able to help. But a specialist called aurologistis usually best suited to diagnose and treat the different types of incontinence.
Depending on the cause and severity of your incontinence, the urologist may recommend lifestyle and behavior therapies, prescription medications, and specialist procedures (including surgery).
Lifestyle and Behavioral Therapies
This may involve:
6 Pelvic Floor Exercises to Try at Home
Prescription Medications
When conservative treatment is not enough to prevent dribbling or leakage,medicationsmay be prescribed to treat the different kinds of urinary incontinence.
Medications commonly used include:
What Are the Best Medications for Overactive Bladder?
Specialist Procedures and Surgery
Chronic or severe incontinence may require aggressive treatment when your health or quality of life is compromised. Some procedures work better than others, and some may be better suited for one type of incontinence but not another.
Options include:
Do I Need Surgery?Surgery is typically pursued in people with moderate to severe incontinence when all other treatment options have failed. Even then, it may not be appropriate for everyone.For instance, while surgery can be beneficial for females with stress or urge incontinence, studies suggest that it may increase the severity of urge incontinence in those with mixed incontinence.Surgery, like sling procedures and AUS, is generally limited to males with moderate to severe stress incontinence.
Do I Need Surgery?
Surgery is typically pursued in people with moderate to severe incontinence when all other treatment options have failed. Even then, it may not be appropriate for everyone.For instance, while surgery can be beneficial for females with stress or urge incontinence, studies suggest that it may increase the severity of urge incontinence in those with mixed incontinence.Surgery, like sling procedures and AUS, is generally limited to males with moderate to severe stress incontinence.
Surgery is typically pursued in people with moderate to severe incontinence when all other treatment options have failed. Even then, it may not be appropriate for everyone.
For instance, while surgery can be beneficial for females with stress or urge incontinence, studies suggest that it may increase the severity of urge incontinence in those with mixed incontinence.
Surgery, like sling procedures and AUS, is generally limited to males with moderate to severe stress incontinence.
Long-Term Management and Confidence
Although some cases of incontinence are transient (passing quickly), others may be a lifelong condition that needs to be managed. Even if there is no “cure” to your condition, there are things you can do to better cope.
This includes:
It may also help your peace of mind to discuss your condition with others you trust, including friends and family. This can help reduce the stigma surrounding incontinence.
Summary
Urinary incontinence is the loss of bladder control ranging in severity from mild to severe. There are different types of incontinence (stress, urge, overflow, functional, and mixed) with different causes and treatments.
Urinary incontinence affects over 25 million people in the United States, predominantly females and older adults. Treatment includes bladder training, medications, devices like pessaries, Botox, electrical stimulation, and surgery.
26 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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