Loss of bladder control or urinary incontinence is something that can cause a lot of worry and anxiety when it is happening to you. It can be embarrassing and stop you from engaging and enjoying all the things in your life that you once did.
It affects sleep quality with frequent nighttime waking, higher stress and overall hormone disruption. Urinary incontinence is actually quite common being normalized to aging and post-childbirth however it affects both women and men of all ages and is something that can be improved if not fixed!
This article is going to go through what urinary incontinence is, what other issues you need to look out for, what can help and when to speak to someone so keep reading to learn more!
What Is Urinary Incontinence?
Ideally, we would be able to hold our bladder and urinate when we want to. Typically people urinate about 8 times a day and not at all overnight. A full bladder pee should be about 8-10 seconds. When urinary incontinence is at play, the person who wants to hold their bladder simply cannot. It is the inability of someone to hold their bladder when they would like to.
This can happen to men and women and happens in a variety of situations. Sometimes it is brought on situationally like jumping or sneezing, other times it can always be there due to a weak pelvic floor or an enlarged prostate. It can depend on your life history and your age. We are going to go through the different types of urinary incontinence so you can learn which is affecting you so you do not have to live with this daily.
What Are the Different Types & Symptoms of Urinary Incontinence?
Types of urinary incontinence include:
- Stress Incontinence
- Urge Incontinence
- Overflow Incontinence
- Mixed Incontinence
- Functional Incontinence
- Gross Total Incontinence
Stress Incontinence
Stress incontinence is due to weakened sphincter muscles of the urethra. Normally the body is able to hold the urethra where urine passes through closed. With stress incontinence, as pressure builds up in the bladder, the sphincter muscles have to work very hard to hold the urine. With additional sudden pressure, the sphincter is not able to hold the urine and urine passes through. This sudden pressure change can be caused by sneezing, laughing, coughing and exercise. Weak pelvic floor muscles may contribute to a lack of sphincter tone.
Causes
Problems with the urethral sphincter or the pelvic floor can be caused by:
- Excess weight carried around the midsection increases intraabdominal pressure on the bladder and pelvic floor
- Holding one’s stomach in or “sucking in” to appear slimmer and increasing intraabdominal pressure
- Pregnancy increases pressure on the bladder and pelvic floor
- Damage during childbirth, damage to the bladder or nearby structures during surgery
- Neurological conditions affecting the brain and spinal cord lessening control of the urethra and pelvic floor
Urge Incontinence
Urge Incontinence is the sudden need to urinate followed by passing urine. It can occur frequently and can be caused by the muscles of the bladder known as the detrusor muscles. The detrusor muscles are responsible for bladder filling and voiding (emptying). This means they relax to allow more urine to be stored, and contract to empty the bladder when you would like to urinate. This is sometimes called having an overactive bladder. It can also be the cause of frequent peeing at night or nocturia.
Causes
Problems with bladder function can be caused by:
- Drinking too much alcohol
- Drinking too much caffeine
- Being dehydrated. Concentrated urine metabolites can irritate the bladder wall
- Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs)
- Interstitial Cystitis
- Constipation
- Neurological conditions
Overflow Incontinence
Overflow incontinence is the persistent dribbling of urine due to the inability to completely empty your bladder. This is also called chronic urinary retention and as the name suggests, it is caused by something blocking the full emptying of the bladder leaving some urine in the bladder that eventually builds up pressure and causes the leakage.
Causes
Overflow incontinence can be caused by:
- Constipation causes pressure on the bladder or urethra
- Bladder stones
- Enlarged prostate gland
Functional Incontinence
Functional incontinence is something in your life that stops you from urinating properly and in a timely fashion. This could result in urine leakage, however, there is nothing structurally wrong with the bladder, urethra or pelvic floor.
Causes
Functional incontinence can be caused by:
- Severe arthritis
- Mobility issues (issues getting to the bathroom)
- Neurological issues (Alzheimers, Dementia, Parkinson’s Disease)
Gross Total Incontinence
Gross total incontinence is when there is something wrong with your bladder and you can’t store any urine at all. People who have gross total incontinence may pass large amounts of urine at one time or they pass frequent amounts of urine with leaking in between.
Causes
Gross total incontinence is rare and can be caused by:
- A birth defect
- Spinal cord injury
- bladder fistula
What Are The Risk Factors for Urinary Incontinence?
Urinary incontinence can be caused by any condition that affects the function of the urinary system including the kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra. The urinary system is complex and can be affected temporarily or chronically. Let’s look at the risk factors that cause urinary incontinence.
Decreased Function of the Urinary System
- Muscular weakness of the pelvic floor
- Enlarged prostate
- Nerve damage
Temporary Causes
- Consumption of alcohol
- Overhydration
- Dehydration
- Caffeine
- Bladder irritants
- Certain medications
- Underlying UTI (Urinary Tract Infection)
- Constipation
Chronic Causes
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Aging
- Hysterectomy
- Interstitial Cystitis
- Prostatitis
- Benign Prostate Hyperplasia
- Kidney Stones
- Bladder Cancer