Urinary Incontinence

Urinary incontinence is loss of bladder control. Symptoms can range from mild leaking to uncontrollable wetting. It can happen to anyone, but it becomes more common with age.

Most bladder control problems happen when muscles are too weak or too active. If the muscles that keep your bladder closed are weak, you may have accidents when you sneeze, laugh or lift a heavy object. This is stress incontinence. If bladder muscles become too active, you may feel a strong urge to go to the bathroom when you have little urine in your bladder. This is urge incontinence or overactive bladder. There are other causes of incontinence, such as prostate problems and nerve damage.

Treatment depends on the type of problem you have and what best fits your lifestyle. It may include simple exercises, medicines, special devices or procedures prescribed by your doctor, or surgery.

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Urinary Incontinence on Wikipedia

'''Urinary incontinence''' is the involutary loss of urine from one's body. It is often temporary, and it almost always results from an underlying medical condition. In this article, the term "incontinence" will be used to mean urinary incontinence. See also fecal incontinence.

Urinary incontinence in women

Women experience incontinence twice as often as men. Pregnancy and childbirth, menopause, and the structure of the female urinary tract account for this difference. But both women and men can become incontinent from neurologic injury, birth defects, strokes, multiple sclerosis, and physical problems associated with Senescence. While urinary incontince affects older women more often than younger women, the onset of incontinence is not inevitable with age. Incontinence is treatable and often curable at all ages. Women with incontinence may not seek medical assistance due to embarrassment. Incontinence in women usually occurs because of problems with muscles that help to hold or release urine. The body stores urine - water and wastes removed by the kidneys - in the urinary bladder, a balloon-like organ. The bladder connects to the urethra, the tube through which urine leaves the body. During urination, muscles in the wall of the bladder contract, forcing urine out of the bladder and into the urethra. At the same time, sphincter muscles surrounding the urethra relax, letting urine pass out of the body. Incontinence will occur if the bladder muscles suddenly contract or muscles surrounding the urethra suddenly relax.

Resources

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Types of incontinence

Stress incontinence

Stress incontinence is incontinence that is caused by actions such as coughing, laughing, sneezing, exercising or other movements that increase intrabdominal pressure and thus increase pressure on the bladder. Physical changes resulting from ... [ Read More ]

External Resources

Beyond Kegels - Book and kit can teach behavioral methods to help control incontinince. These behavioral methods usually are very simple and effective for specific types of urinary incontinence.

A Personal Solution Inc. - Offers the Kegel Exerciser for women suffering from urinary incontinence.

MEDCON Biolab Technologies - Urinary and fecal Incontinent skin cream treatment.

Phoenix, Inc. - Lifestyle and treatment information, and kits for handling urinary incontinence and Fybromyalgia.

Tomed - Offers medical products such as Femcon for urinary stress incontinence, post-partum pelvic floor training, intrauterine devices (IUDs) for contraception and proMaternity garments to prevent physical discomfort during pregnancy.

American Medical Systems, Inc. - Manufacturers of innovative medical devices for the diagnosis and treatment of erectile dysfunction (impotence), urinary incontinence, fecal incontinence, prostate disease, urethral strictures and DESD.

American Medical Systems - Manufactures medical devices for the diagnosis and treatment of erectile dysfunction, urinary incontinence, severe fecal incontinence, and urethral strictures. Minnetonka, Minnesota. (Nasdaq: AMMD).

ICAgen, Inc. - Discovers and develops pharmaceutical products to treat medical conditions such as atrial fibrillation, urinary incontinence, central nervous system disorders, and sickle cell disease.

Periurethral Collagen Injection for Stress Incontinence With and Without Urethral Hypermobility - Abstract of a study comparing the effects of collagen injection for treatment of stress urinary incontinence in women with and without urethral hypermobility. From Journal of Female Urinary Incontinence.

Urinary Problems in Women - FAQs about voiding pain and difficulties, blood in urine, frequent urinary tract infections, nighttime urinary urgency and incontinence and the influence of fibroids and endometriosis on urinary function.

Related Pages on HealthTales.com:

Urinary Tract Infections