5 Types of Urinary Incontinence
Urinary incontinence is a fairly common problem that is often embarrassing and awkward for people to discuss, as well as inconvenient. Essentially, urinary incontinence is the loss of control of the bladder that ranges in severity from being caused by stress such as coughing to other more serious reasons. While sometimes associated with aging, urinary incontinence can affect anyone. Here are the different types of this condition.
#1. Pressure Can Cause Stress Incontinence
Urinary Stress Incontinence happens when a small amount of urine leaks from the urethra from a variety of actions including coughing, sneezing, exercising, or other stressors. The reason why these stressors cause urine to leak is because they put greater abdominal pressure on the bladder. In total, this condition affects approximately 13 million people in the United States, 85% of whom are women. Incontinence is more common in women because of pregnancy, childbirth, and menopause. Men are affected too, but that is usually due to the enlargement of the prostate that occurs with aging.
#2. Urge Incontinence Happens Abruptly
Unlike stress incontinence, which is caused by a physical action, urge incontinence might seem more “random” from the outside. Urge incontinence is when you suddenly have an intense urge to urinate followed by an involuntary loss of urine. This type of incontinence is caused by minor conditions such as infections, but also by more serious conditions including a neurologic disorder or diabetes.
#3. Overflow Incontinence is Non-Stop
Overflow incontinence is when you are unable to completely empty your bladder. You may not sense that your bladder is full. This leads to overflow, which then leaks out unexpectedly. A symptom of an overflow incontinence involves frequent or constant dribbling of urine due to a bladder that doesn’t empty completely. If you find yourself leaking urine during the day or even wetting the bed at night, this may be another sign of overflow incontinence.
#4. Functional Incontinence Can Hold You Back
This type of incontinence occurs usually due to a mental or physical barrier preventing you from making it to the bathroom on time. Severe arthritis could be an example of one condition that goes on to cause functional incontinence.
#5. More Than One Type of Incontinence
If a number of these symptoms sound familiar to you, then you might have what is called mixed incontinence. Mixed incontinence is when you experience more than one type of urinary incontinence. Therefore, you might experience stress incontinence at the gym, but also have a mental impairment keeping you from making it to the toilet in time, resulting in functional incontinence.
Coping With Urinary Incontinence
If you struggle with incontinence, there are solutions for you out there. Before pursuing one, it is best to consult with your doctor, who will have access to a team of experienced professionals and resources to best help you. One common solution is sling surgery. Basically, the surgeon creates a “sling” that they then put under the urethra. This then acts like a hammock and supports the urethra and the neck of the bladder. As a result, sling surgery helps to prevent leaks. Before pursuing sling surgery or other medical solutions, review the issues with your doctor at a consultation.
Urinary Incontinence Specialists in New Jersey
If you are ready to move forward and find a solution to your incontinence today, then it is time to call a professional urologist. Working with a team of physicians who specialize in urology will give you the comfort and specialized care needed to handle this challenge. At Somerset Urological Associates, we will give you just that and more. We seek to provide the highest level of care through our highly skilled health care professionals and state of the art technologies. Call us today and we will be happy to answer any and all of your urological questions.