When asked if they have incontinence, many women say, “No, I just leak when I sneeze, laugh, or exercise.” However, these women DO have urinary incontinence. The definition of incontinence is simply the lack of control over urination. Bladder incontinence is a common condition, affecting 1 in 3 women over 30 years old, and 1 in 2 women over the age of 50. Symptoms often begin after childbirth, when the pelvic floor is stretched or damaged. Left untreated, incontinence can worsen, affecting many areas of a woman’s life. Research shows that women who have incontinence are more likely to struggle with mental health, sexual health, and social issues.
Now that you know the basic definition of incontinence, let’s take a look at the types of incontinence that affect women.
Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is urine leakage with increased abdominal pressure. This pressure pushes down on pelvic floor muscles, applying stress to muscles that are too weak to keep the bladder closed. The pelvic floor consists of layered muscles that act like a hammock to support your bladder, vagina, and rectum. Sneezing, coughing, or exercise can trigger this increase in abdominal pressure, and 82% of women with incontinence have some degree of stress incontinence. Conservative treatments focus on strengthening the pelvic floor muscles.
Urge urinary incontinence (UUI) is a sudden and strong desire to urinate, accompanied by bladder leakage. If you can get to the toilet before leaking, the condition is called “overactive bladder.” The cause of UUI is complex and addresses how the nervous system controls the bladder. Treatment often involves medication or stimulation to calm the bladder. Learn more about UUI and a listing of some treatment options.
Mixed incontinence (MI) describes when a woman has both stress and urge incontinence symptoms.
Overflow incontinence occurs when the bladder literally overflows because it’s full but no message is sent to the brain to tell the women to urinate. In some cases, the bladder also has difficultly fully emptying. There are various causes that require a range of medical treatments.
Nocturia is incontinence at night and often requires waking up multiple times, interrupting sleep. Learn more here.
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If you’ve researched the definition of incontinence and the different types, you’ve probably determined you have SUI (including mixed incontinence), which is the most common type of incontinence. SUI usually develops when the pelvic floor muscles are weakened or stretched, so treatment focuses on strengthening the pelvic floor. SUI symptoms are categorized as mild, moderate, or severe. Regardless of the severity, you should consider treatment together with a healthcare professional. Early intervention increases the success of treatment.
Mild. You experience occasional light leakage with vigorous exercise, coughing, laughing, or sneezing. It’s usually a surprise when it happens, but you may wear an absorbent pad “just in case.”
Moderate. Your bladder leakage ranges from a few times a week to every day. You most likely wear an absorbent pad.
Severe. You leak multiple times per day, sometimes from simple movements, such as standing up, walking, or bending over. You probably use multiple pads per day. In addition to incontinence, you may have notable pelvic organ prolapse (i.e., when pelvic organs drop into or below the vagina).
Surgery is an invasive option that should be a last resort. The most common surgery is a sling procedure where the surgeon tacks the ends of a sling (usually mesh or tape) to other tissues, and the sling physically lifts the bladder neck. Recently, there have been reports of severe complications with the products used in incontinence surgeries.
Treating incontinence early on means you’ll have more success treating those annoying bladder leaks. However, there are situations where you might want to think twice about over-the-counter incontinence solutions.
More than two-thirds of women who deal with leaky bladders don’t discuss it with their doctors. By the time most women seek treatment for incontinence, they’ve been dealing with bladder leakage for years or even decades. Unfortunately, the longer you wait, the harder it will be to get back to normal. Here are some common reasons women delay seeking treatment:
We hear your excuses, but there are new solutions that are time and cost-effective. Elitone is an FDA-cleared solution that treats SUI safely and discretely. And now that you’re equipped with the actual definition of incontinence, the types, and the different treatments, you also know you don’t have to live with urine leaks!
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