Urinary Incontinence Symptoms

Urinary Incontinence: Introduction

When you lose your ability to control urine, it is called incontinence or urinary incontinence. This condition affects women, and often, urinary incontinence signs and symptoms are commonly experienced by old women.

Incontinence can be caused due to a number of reasons. Stretched pelvic muscles following pregnancy or childbirth can be a valid cause as does a decrease in estrogen levels in women.

What are the Urinary Incontinence Symptoms?

Urinary incontinence is more of a symptom caused due to other health conditions. When you lose voluntary bladder control, it is considered as incontinence.

Urinary incontinence is categorized into many types such as stress incontinence, which is caused by laughing, coughing or sneezing. Urge incontinence, where you pass urine when you feel a sudden urge to urinate.

Overflow incontinence is when there is a continual urine leakage. Functional incontinence is that which happens to people who have suffered brain injury, and then there is temporary incontinence.

Some urinary incontinence signs and symptoms:

• Urine leaks as a result of sneezing, laughing, weight lifting or workouts.
• An urge to urinate after taking fluids.
• Unable to hold urine so as to make it to the restroom.
• Difficulty starting urination.
• You have to strain in order to empty the bladder.
• Weak urinary stream leading to dribbling.

An enlarged prostate in males can lead to cause signs of urinary incontinence, as do side effects caused by certain medications. Frequent constipation and recurrent urinary tract infections can also make one suffer from incontinence.

Obesity, weakened muscles which control urination, as well as damaged or diseased brain and spinal cord can also cause urinary incontinence symptoms.

If your bladder muscles grow too active, you can have a strong urge to urinate when in fact your bladder contains too little urine. This is medically termed as over active bladder or urge incontinence. Other causes of urinary incontinence include nerve damage and prostate problems.

Treatment for urinary incontinence typically depends on symptoms, as well as what is suitable with your lifestyle.

These may consist of simple exercises, medications, special procedures or devices as prescribed by the doctor. In some cases, surgery may be needed to be performed.