About Urinary Incontinence
Millions of women experience loss of bladder control, also called urinary incontinence (UI). Some women may lose a few drops of urine while running or coughing. Others may feel a strong, sudden urge to urinate just before losing a large amount of urine. UI can be slightly bothersome or totally debilitating. For some women, the risk of public embarrassment keeps them from enjoying many activities with their family and friends.
The Urinary Incontinence Treatment Network conducts research on treatments for this health problem.
Stress urinary incontinence is the accidental loss of urine, often, but not always, with exercise, sneezing, coughing or similar physical activities. This type of incontinence happens because the urethra (the tube that connects to the bladder and controls urination and urine storage) is not working well. Causes of stress incontinence include weakened bladder and/or pelvic floor muscles and/or a weakened urethral sphincter.
Urge incontinence is defined as a sudden and strong feeling of the need to urinate that results in urine leakage. This urge cannot be controlled, and makes it difficult to get to the toilet on time. It is sometimes also called overactive bladder. This can happen when the nerve passages from the brain to the bladder are damaged, and it causes a sudden bladder contraction that cannot be controlled.
Mixed urinary incontinence consists of both stress and urge incontinence. This type of incontinence happens in many women. Often in women with mixed incontinence, the symptoms of one type of incontinence (stress or urge) occur more frequently than symptoms of the other type.
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