Urinary Incontinence

Urinary incontinence is loss of bladder control. Symptoms range from mild leaking to uncontrollable wetting. It can happen to anyone, but is more common among women and elderly patients.

Male Urinary Incontinence

Over 2 million men suffer with incontinence. It is a serious problem that men are reluctant to discuss with others. When the muscle (sphincter) that holds the bladder neck closed is not strong enough to retain urine in the bladder, the result is urinary incontinence. Incontinence may occur when:

• The sphincter is too weak
• The bladder muscles contract strongly
• The bladder is not emptied regularly

In men, urinary incontinence often is related to a medical problem or a treatment involving:

• The prostate gland
• Enlargement (benign prostatic hyperplasia, BPH)
• Prostate removal due to cancer

Stress Incontinence: Is the accidental release of urine when pressure is applied to the bladder, such as when you cough, sneeze, laugh or lift something heavy. This is the most common type of incontinence post-prostate cancer.

Urge Incontinence: Is when the bladder contracts at the wrong time giving you the feeling that you have to urinate immediately even if you may have just emptied your bladder.

Overflow Incontinence: Is characterized by leaking when the bladder does not empty properly. This can be due to other medical conditions such as an enlarged prostate or a narrowing of the urethra.

Total Incontinence: Is continual leakage of urine due to complete sphincter deficiency

Female Urinary Incontinence

Types & Treatment Options

Urinary Incontinence (UI) is an accidental and unwanted loss of urine. There are millions of women in the U.S. who experience this problem.  There are many types of urinary leakage. Unfortunately, it is not just one simple type but could be several or even a combination. The most common ones are stress urinary incontinence (SUI), urgency urinary incontinence (UUI) and mixed urinary incontinence (MUI).  The good news is that urinary leakage is not a fatal problem but it can greatly impact the quality of one’s life.
 
Below is a description of each of the three main types:

1. SUI is the most common form of incontinence in women and it is associated with activities such as coughing, laughing, exercising, sneezing, walking or jogging.
2. UUI is completely different. It is when a patient has a urine loss associated with a strong compelling desire to void but then a person can’t hold it and can’t make it to the bathroom on time.
3. MUI is the combination of both SUI and UUI.