Self Care Articles

Is this your symptom?

• Passing urine when you don't mean to, such as when you cough, sneeze or laugh
• Sudden urgent need to pass urine and your bladder empties before you get to the toilet
• New onset of wetting the bed
• Dribbling urine after you think you have finished emptying your bladder

Causes of Incontinence

• Stress Incontinence is the most common type in women. It can also happen in men after surgery or radiation therapy for prostate cancer. It occurs when pressure builds in the bladder and the bladder outlet cannot hold the urine back. If the muscles that support the bladder are weak, some movements put extra pressure on the bladder and urine can leak out. It may happen when you cough, laugh, sneeze, jump or run. This gets more common with age. It can also happen in women who have had children or are obese.
• Urge Incontinence is also called overactive bladder. Urine is passed when the bladder muscle contracts. With urge incontinence, the bladder muscle contracts too early and bladder control is lost or reduced. It can be caused by damage to the nerves that control bladder function, such as in Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, spinal cord problems or after a stroke.
• Mixed Incontinence. Some people have a mixture of urge and stress incontinence.
• Overflow Incontinence occurs when the bladder outlet (the part where urine leaves the bladder) is blocked by something. The bladder muscle has to work hard to push the urine out. If the bladder can't be emptied properly, urine may leak out past the blockage. An enlarged prostate in men is a common cause of overflow incontinence. It can be treated with surgery to remove the prostate or with medicines to shrink the prostate. Other surgery options can lift the prostate out of the way.
• Bed Wetting. New onset of bed wetting can be caused by a urinary infection or other causes, such as overflow incontinence. See your doctor for advice.
• Functional Incontinence is the term used when no cause is found for the loss of bladder control. Incontinence may be from poor mobility and you cannot get to the toilet on time.
• Other Types of Incontinence. Congenital problems may affect the urinary system. Injury from accident or surgery can also be a cause of incontinence.
• Urinary Tract Infections(bladder or kidney) can be diagnosed by checking a urine sample. Symptoms are pain in the lower part of the abdomen, pain or burning feeling when you pass urine, needing to pass urine more often than usual, or a feeling you need to pass urine urgently. The urine can look cloudy or have blood in it. Some women get urinary infections more often after menopause.
• Interstitial Cystitis / Painful Bladder Syndrome. With this health problem, there is recurrent or constant pain in the bladder area which gets worse as the bladder fills. There is also frequency of passing urine and a need to get up to urinate during the night. The cause is unknown. Infections need to be ruled out first before the diagnosis can be made.
• Diabetes. If diabetes is not well controlled, high sugar levels in the blood may make you pass urine more frequently. It is important to see your doctor to get your blood and urine tested. Urinary infection is also more common with diabetes.
• Bladder Cancer. Symptoms include blood in the urine, but it is not usually painful to pass urine. In most cases, the cancer only affects the lining of the bladder and can be removed. If treated early, this may cure the cancer. Do not ignore bladder symptoms. Seek care from your doctor. Bladder cancer could be the reason for an obstruction of the bladder outlet and cause overflow incontinence.
• Medication. Some meds can cause urinary symptoms. Diuretics and lithium can make you pass urine more frequently or make you feel you need to pass more urgently. You may lose bladder control at times.