If you are experiencing urinary incontinence, you are not alone. The Urology Care Foundation reports about a third of adults face this challenge.
What is urinary incontinence? It is the loss of bladder control. To understand your urinary incontinence issue, you must first identify the type you are experiencing. What are the six types of urinary incontinence?
The Six Types of Urinary Incontinence
Although the result is the same — urine leakage — there are many types of urinary incontinence.
Stress incontinence
In stress incontinence, you may leak urine during physical exertion such as a cough, laugh, sneeze, or even lift something heavy — any activity that strongly engages your abdominal muscles may cause a leak. This is due to increased pressure in your abdominal cavity and thus on your bladder.
Stress incontinence is often a result of weakened pelvic floor muscles and is common in women who have given birth. For men, it may occur after prostate surgery or a fractured pelvis.
Urge incontinence
Urge incontinence is overactive bladder (OAB) or detrusor overactivity. OAB causes the sudden irresistible urge to urinate, even when your bladder isn’t full. OAB occurs when the detrusor muscle (the muscle that contracts to signal that you need to pee) tightens when it shouldn’t.
Urge incontinence can be due to neurological problems such as nerve damage from accidents or diseases. For many, especially women, it is simply a matter of weak pelvic muscles.
Overflow incontinence
In overflow incontinence, the bladder overflows because it never fully empties. It may be that something has blocked the normal flow of urine, such as an enlarged prostate, scar tissue, or a prolapsed uterus or bladder.
Functional incontinence
In functional incontinence, your urinary tract works fine, but something else makes it difficult to get to the toilet in time. It could be physically challenging to get to the bathroom and remove your clothes. It may be that there isn’t a bathroom close by. It can also be a side effect of medications or disease.
Reflex incontinence
In reflex incontinence, the bladder muscle contracts unexpectedly, often causing a significant leak and without the urge to pee. Reflex incontinence usually happens to people with severe neurological damage such as a spinal cord injury or multiple sclerosis.
Mixed incontinence
As the name implies, people with mixed incontinence have mixed symptoms — those of both stress and urge incontinence. Mixed incontinence can be the most challenging urinary incontinence to deal with.
What Can You Do If You Suffer from Urinary Incontinence?
What you can do depends partly on the cause of your incontinence. In some cases, simple actions such as moving closer to the bathroom or investing in a commode chair may be a solution.
Some medications can contribute to urinary incontinence, so your doctor may want to change your prescription. If the issue is due to weak pelvic floor muscles, exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor may be helpful.
Incontinence products such as bed pads, disposable underwear, and bladder control pads can make life more comfortable and reduce the risk of embarrassing accidents. For all your urinary incontinence needs, visit Simply Medical today.