If you are suffering from incontinence, you are not alone. Roughly 1.5 million Canadians experience incontinence, including an estimated three in seven women and one in seven men of all ages and lifestyles.
Incontinence is any unintended loss of urine (even a few drops) or bowel movement. It is not a disease. It is a symptom of something else going on in the body. There are many causes of incontinence, including pelvic injuries or surgeries, neurological diseases, infections or degenerative changes associated with aging. It can also occur after pregnancy or childbirth.
Types of Incontinence
Stress incontinence is the loss of urine associated with pressure on the body (e.g. coughing, sneezing, laughing, lifting, and running). It can occur as a result of weakness in the pelvic floor muscles and forgetting to use these muscles to hold.
Urge incontinence, or overactive bladder, is the urgent need to pass urine and the inability to get to a toilet in time. It can occur after consuming foods or drinks that irritate the bladder, such as coffee or pop. Certain medications, such as water pills for high blood pressure or pain pills containing caffeine can cause urgency. It is more common with certain neurological conditions such as stroke, Parkinson’s or Multiple Scerlosis. There are many possible causes and if the pelvic floor muscles are weak, then leaking with urgency is more likely.
Mixed incontinence is very common when both stress and urge incontinence are present.
Overflow incontinence occurs when the amount of urine produced is greater than the bladder's holding capacity. It may give the feeling of constant leaking of urine.
Incontinence can affect your quality of life and result in feelings of anxiety or depression. It can cause you to avoid certain physical activities or social situations. If you have incontinence, please talk to your family doctor about it. Most incontinence can be cured or markedly improved without surgery or medications.
Please see your family doctor and/or make an appointment to see a physiotherapist at the Continence Clinic at BC Women’s in Vancouver if you:
- need to empty your bladder many times a day
- often need to hurry to the toilet to empty your bladder
- get up several times in the night to go to the toilet
- wet the bed in your sleep
- have to change your home or clothes to make going to the toilet easier, or
cannot completely empty your bladder when you go to the toilet.