Birmingham area patients ask, “What are some of the causes of female incontinence?”

Millions of women suffer from urinary incontinence, or the involuntary loss of urine. For some, it’s only a few drops here and there, particularly when they laugh, cough, or exercise. Others may lose large amounts of urine. Regardless of the amount, incontinence can be embarrassing and very inconvenient. It can have negative effects on a woman’s professional and social activities. It can also impact relationships as some women experience loss of urine during sexual activity.

Women are twice as likely to experience incontinence as men. Conditions such as pregnancy and menopause are tied closely to the difference between genders.

At its core, incontinence is an issue with the muscles and nerves that help the body hold in or release urine. Urine is water and waste that is removed from the body by the kidneys and stored in the bladder. When a person urinates, the muscles of the bladder contract forcing the urine out through the urethra. During this process, the sphincter muscles relax to let the urine leave the body. In patients suffering with incontinence, the bladder muscles often contract suddenly, or the sphincter muscles are unable to keep the urine in the body.

What are the types of incontinence?

• Stress Incontinence – caused by conditions such as childbirth or weight gain that stretch out the pelvic muscles, leaving them unable to support the bladder.
• Urge Incontinence – caused by spontaneous contractions of the bladder muscles. Urge incontinence has been linked to stress, Parkinson’s disease, strokes, and irritation of the bladder. Overactive bladder is a type of urge incontinence.
• Functional Incontinence – caused by a medical condition, like Alzheimer’s or even arthritis, which renders the person unable to effectively plan trips to the restroom.
• Overflow incontinence – often caused by weak bladder muscles, this type of incontinence occurs when the bladder is not completely emptied.
• Mixed incontinence – in many cases, women experience combinations of incontinence, particularly stress and urge continence together.

The first step to treating incontinence is a comprehensive examination to determine what type you have. We will take a complete medical history and discuss your symptoms. In some cases, we may ask you to fill out a bladder diary over the course of several days. There are also tests we can perform to measure the functioning of bladder muscles. Treatment varies based on type; we will work closely with you to develop a treatment plan that works for you.

Women in the Birmingham area experiencing incontinence should come to our office for respectful, comforting, and compassionate care.