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Embarrassed About Incontinence? Don’t Be

One thing that most caregivers have in common is dealing with incontinence in their loved ones or themselves. There is still a stigma attached to this ailment, but the only way to combat this misconception is to learn more about it, bring it out into the open and discuss it.

Urinary incontinence can occur at any age for any number of reasons. Women are 50% more likely to be affected than men. The most common symptoms are bedwetting, leakage after coughing, sneezing or laughing, and a general uncontrolled leakage of urine.       

Some of the causes of Incontinence are:   

• Weakened bladder muscles

• Excessive alcohol or caffeine intake

• Emotional disturbances

• Enlargement of the prostate

• In women, a lack of estrogen

• Urinary tract infection

• Stones in the bladder

• Nerve damage to the bladder

• Changes in the body such as surgery or childbirth

• Side effects from medications

There are six types of urinary incontinence.

• Urge incontinence is an urgent need to urinate followed by leakage.

• Overflow incontinence happens when small amounts of urine leak from a full bladder.

• An emotional rather than a physical cause is called psychological incontinence.

• Stress incontinence occurs when laughing, lifting heavy objects, sneezing or coughing.

• A constant dripping of urine night and day is called total incontinence.

• Mixed incontinence is a mixture of any of the above-mentioned causes.

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