Urinary Incontinence
If you’re struggling with urinary incontinence, we understand how it can disrupt your life, impacting your physical health and emotional well-being. If left untreated, urinary incontinence symptoms often get worse, leading to even more trips to the bathroom, decreased sexual satisfaction, and leaks during exercising or when you laugh, sneeze, or cough. It’s a condition that can create a tremendous amount of stress, embarrassment, and diminished self-esteem. If these are the feelings you’re grappling with, rest assured, you’re not alone. In the UK, urinary incontinence affects a substantial percentage of the population, amounting to more than 3 million people.
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What is urinary incontinence?
Urinary incontinence, sometimes referred to as urinary bladder incontinence, is the unintentional passing of urine, characterised by a frequent or urgent need to pee. This urgency can lead to bedwetting at night or leaks when rushing to the toilet. Some may also find it hard to start urinating or feel that their bladder doesn’t completely empty.
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There are different types of urinary incontinence:
Stress incontinence: When pressure is applied to the bladder, like when you cough, it can cause urine to leak.
Urge incontinence: This is characterised by a sudden, intense need to urinate, often leading to leakage before reaching the restroom.
Mixed urinary incontinence: This is a mix of symptoms between stress incontinence and urge incontinence
Overflow incontinence: Occurs when the bladder doesn’t fully empty, leading to frequent leaking.
Total incontinence: A severe form of urinary incontinence where the bladder is unable to store any urine, leading to constant or frequent leaking.
What causes urinary incontinence?
Since there are so many different types of urinary bladder incontinence, each has its own unique causes and treatment approaches. It’s important to understand these distinctions when seeking treatment, as they guide the path to managing and overcoming the symptoms.
Here’s a general guide:
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Overflow incontinence is often caused by a blockage or obstruction in the bladder, which prevents it from emptying fully.
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Total incontinence may occur due to a birth condition, a spinal cord injury, or a fistula, which is a tiny opening between the bladder and another body part—resulting in continuous urine leakage.
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Stress incontinence is usually due to the weakening or damage of muscles responsible for preventing urination, such as the pelvic floor muscles or the urethral sphincter.
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Urge incontinence generally results from the overactivity of the muscles that control the bladder.
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Both stress incontinence and urge incontinence can result from pregnancy, childbirth, menopause, obesity, ageing, genetics, and a range of other medical and lifestyle factors.
