Urinary incontinence, also called overactive bladder, indicates the loss of bladder control. Incontinence is more common as people age, although it may happen anytime in your life. Symptoms of incontinence range from mild leaking to uncontrollable wetting. |
Typically bladder control issues occur when muscles are either too weak or too active. Muscles that are too weak may cause accidents from sneezing, laughing or lifting something heavy. When the muscles that keep your bladder closed are too weak, it is called stress incontinence.
Conversely, bladder muscles may become too active, causing you to have a strong urge to use the bathroom when there is little urine in your bladder. Overactive bladder muscles cause urge incontinence or overactive bladder. Several other factors may cause incontinence, such as prostate problems and nerve damage.
Treatment for incontinence includes simple exercises as well as prescribed medication, depending on the type of incontinence you experience as well as your lifestyle preferences. Special devices, medical procedures or surgery may be recommended by your physician.
Learn more about Incontinence
• Find information on Urinary Incontinence on the NIH National Institute on Aging website.
• Find Urinary Incontinence: Embarrassing but Treatable, provided by the American Academy of Family Physicians.
• Find Urinary Incontinence: Embarrassing but Treatable, provided by the American Academy of Family Physicians – in Spanish
• Find Your Body's Design for Bladder Control an Easy-to-Read document on the NIH National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases website – in Spanish
Find general information on Incontinence
• Controlling Urinary Incontinence (Food and Drug Administration)
• Loss of Bladder Control (Food and Drug Administration)
• Urinary Incontinence (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Urinary Incontinence (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)
Latest News on Incontinence
• NIH State-of-the-Science Panel Seeks to Dispel Stigma Associated with Fecal and Urinary Incontinence NIH (12/12/2007, National Institutes of Health)
