Urinary Incontinence

What is Urinary Incontinence?

Urinary incontinue is the involuntary leakage of urine, a condition that is prevalent in older adults but can also affect younger adults. It can significantly impact both your health and quality of life. The severity of urinary incontinence varies from occassionally leaking urine when you cough or sneeze to having the urge to urinate that is so sudden and strong that you have no time to get to a toilet. 

Your urinary system consists of many different organs that work together to filter and remove waste from your body as urine. When working right, your urinary system gives you enough time to get to a bathroom to urinate and you do not leak urine. Urinary incontinence happens when these organs do not work as they should and can happen due to different reasons.

Types of urinary incontinence

Overflow: Happens when you leak a little and can't fully empty your bladder.

Stress: Sneezing, coughing or physical activities may cause you to leak.

Urge: You may feel like you need to pee immediately and may leak before making it to a bathroom.

Mixed: A combination of conditions make you leak.

What are the symptoms of Urinary Incontinence?

The main symptom of urinary incontinence is leaking pee before you can make it to the bathroom or during activities such as sneezing, laughing or exercising. It could be a constant or occasional leak, and symptoms will depend on the type of incontinence you have. Symptoms may include:

• Frequent urination
• Needing to use the bathroom but little urine comes out 
• Waking up to pee more than twice
• Wetting the bed
• Leaking pee during activities like exercising, laughing, coughing, sneezing

What causes Urinary Incontinence?

There are different reasons for urinary incontinence. These may vary between men and women. Some causes are temporary and get better with treatment while others may be caused by a chronic medical condition which may not go away even with treatment. 

Temporary or short-term causes of incontinence may include:

• Urinary tract infection (UTIs)
• Pregnancy or post-partum
• Certain medications, including diuretics and antidepressants
• Certain beverages including coffee, tea and alcohol
• Constipation

Causes for chronic urinary incontinence may include:

• Stroke
• Diabetes
• Menopause
• Multiple sclerosis (MS)
• Benign prostate hyperplasia
• Parkinson's disease
• Overactive bladder

What are the risk factors of Urinary Incontinence?

• Age: Your risk of urinary incontinence increases as you age, usually over the age of 50. 
• Pregnancy, childbirth or Menopause: Each of these factors may cause your pelvic floor muscles to weaken over time and make changes to your bladder that might lead to incontinence.
• Gender: Urinary incontinence is more common in women than men.

How do you manage Urinary Incontinence?

Changes to your everyday life may help to treat urinary incontinence and improve your quality of life. Talk to your healthcare provider before making any of these changes.

Some common lifestyle changes may include:

• Timed urination: Urinate according to a schedule instead of whenever you feel the urge to go.
• Urinate before physical activities: Urinating before you start an activity may help avoid potential leaks.
• Avoid lifting heavy objects: Ask for assistance if you need to lift an heavy or large object
• Kegel exercises: This may help to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles. 
• Avoid drinking lots of fluids before physical activities: Avoid drinking fluids before bed if you tend to leak at night 
• Wear absorbant urinary pads or underwear: You can wear these to catch any leaked pee.
• Maintaining a healthy weight: Losing weight in your abdominal area can help reduce pressure on your bladder and can improve your bladder health.

How is Urinary Incontinence diagnosed?

Physical Examination
A pelvic or digital rectam examination may be done to determine your pelvic muscle strength or diagnose an enlarged prostate.

Imaging Tests
An ultrasound may be conducted to look at your bladder and check how well you can empty it of urine.

Urinalysis
You will provide a urine sample to be analysed for signs of infection or blood in your pee.