Types of urinary incontinence

What is incontinence?

Urinary incontinence is when a person ac identally leaks urine.  Sometimes it is triggered when a person coughs, sneezes, exercises, lifts heavy objects, or even laughs. Urinary control issues are embarrassing and can alter the way a person lives. For example, people with urinary incontinence, may avoid social situations or leave their homes to do errands or other activities in case a bathroom is not available or nearby when they need one.   

Fortunately, there are ways to gain control of urinary incontinence, depending on the type of incontinence you are diagnosed with.

Types of incontinence

• Stress incontinence – This type of incontinence affects mostly younger and middle-aged women. It is often due to weakened or stretched pelvic floor muscles associated with childbirth. In addition, any pressure or stress on the bladder, such as laughing or coughing, can cause leakage. Men do not develop stress incontinence unless their prostate has been removed or from an injury to the pelvic region. 

• Urge incontinence – As it sounds, this type involves the sudden urge to find a bathroom right away. People with urge incontinence often cannot hold their urine very long and, therefore, when away from home, need to locate the closest restroom when out in public. Urge incontinence typically affects people with diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, or stroke. 

• Functional incontinence – People with functional incontinence are generally older adults with normal bladder control. Still, they have issues walking or getting up and out of a chair easily to use the restroom to urinate.  They often have arthritis, a bad back, weakness, or other disorders making it difficult to move quickly.

Incontinence treatment

The best way to treat urinary incontinence is to discuss the problem with your doctor. Knowing which type of incontinence is a good start to treating it. 

Some doctors may prescribe certain medications to remedy the issue. For example, a vaginal estrogen cream can sometimes help relieve urge or stress incontinence for women. The cream is applied to the walls of the vagina and urethral tissue. 

Using a bulking agent is another way to manage urinary incontinence. A bulking gel or paste, injected by a doctor around the area of the urethra, helps reduce stress incontinence. In more extreme cases, a catheter can be inserted to drain urine from the bladder, or a device called a vaginal pessary ring will put pressure on the urethral area to prevent leakage. Other invasive procedures that can reduce incontinence include injections of Botox or a procedure called sacral neuromodulation. 

To better control the muscles of the bladder and urethra, biofeedback using sensors makes you more mindful of urinary signals throughout the day. 

As a last resort, surgery can improve or cure incontinence if the bladder has been moved or if a man has a blockage due to an enlarged prostate.

Bladder control exercises

Training your bladder to prevent incontinence is the best treatment of all. Whether you are currently experiencing urinary incontinence or not, now is the time to begin bladder control exercises and lifestyle changes:

• Void or urinate on a timed schedule. For example, depending on the time of day – waking up in the morning, right after eating a meal, before running errands, or before going to bed – automatically use the restroom to urinate. 
• Practice bladder guarding. Some people are triggered to urinate by certain signals, such as the sound of water running or of a fountain spraying water. If this happens to you, squeeze the muscles to hold your urine, which sends a message to your brain, training it to wait until you can reach a bathroom.
• Drink fluids but control the amount, especially if away from home.
• Coughing triggers anyone with incontinence – learn to control coughing to reduce pressure on the bladder.
• Caffeine, alcohol, and carbonated beverages irritate the bladder, causing increased urination. Minimize these substances.
• Practice Kegel exercises every day. Kegels involve squeezing and releasing muscles used to hold urine. Done regularly, can result in a 75% to 100% improvement.