Types Of Urinary Incontinence

There are different types of urinary incontinence. It is possible for someone to have more than one type of incontinence condition or a combination of types. Among the most common are urge incontinence and stress incontinence.

Urge incontinence describes the sudden and uncontrollable desire to urinate. This “urge” occurs regardless of the quantity of urine in the bladder. It is generally believed that this is due to inappropriate contractions of the bladder. Urge incontinence is also referred to as an overactive bladder. An overactive bladder also describes detrusor instability or a hypersensitive detrusor. Again, the detrusor is the muscle that contracts during urination to squeeze out urine.

Urge incontinence happens often at night. Frequent urination at night is also referred to as nocturia. What occurs here is a disruption of signals between the bladder and brain. For some people, certain cues in the surrounding environment such as running water in the kitchen or rain outside may prompt the urgency or even a leakage. This type of incontinence is quite common in men and women.

Stress incontinence occurs when the muscles surrounding the bladder are strained due to some activity such as coughing, sneezing, laughing or bending. It describes injury or weakness in the sphincter or pelvis muscles. Some of the underlying causes include pregnancy, childbirth or even menopause. This is most common in women.

Mixed incontinence occurs when there is a combination of stress and urge incontinence.

Overflow incontinence describes a condition where urine is retained in the bladder because of weak bladder muscles or blockage somewhere below the bladder. Signs of overflow incontinence include dribbling, straining, hesitancy, urgency, a slow or low-force urine stream, straining, and urinating small amounts despite a sensation of urgency. This form of incontinence is mostly prevalent in men.

Neuropathic incontinence indicates a nerve problem in the detrusor muscle or the interior sphincter. The destrusor may be overcontracting or the sphincter muscle may lack the tension needed to retain urine.

Fistula is an abnormality that exists in the internal connection between organs or structures in the urinary system including the bladder, ureters or urethra. This abnormality can cause incontinence.

Traumatic incontinence is a type of urinary disorder that occurs due to injury in the pelvis like a bone fracture or an injury from a complication during surgery.

Congenital incontinence occur in individuals born with their bladder or ureters out of place.

Urine flow obstruction may also cause incontinence.

A doctor can provide even more information on the type of incontinence you may be experiencing. The above is a general and informative summary and is not intended for diagnosis.