Urinary incontinence is the involuntary loss of urine. The problem has varying degrees of severity. Some women experience only occasional, minor leaks of urine such as while running or coughing. Others may lose a large amount of urine.
Types of urinary incontinence include:
Stress Incontinence: Women who have stress incontinence lose urine when pressure is exerted on their bladder such as when coughing, sneezing, laughing, exercising or lifting heavy objects. It is not due to psychological stress. Physical changes resulting from pregnancy, childbirth and menopause can cause stress incontinence.
Urge Incontinence: In urge incontinence, the bladder is said to be "overactive" — it's contracting even when the bladder isn't full, so women may feel a sudden, intense urge to urinate, followed by an involuntary loss of urine. With urge incontinence, the patient may also need to urinate frequently.
Urge incontinence may be caused by a urinary tract infection or by anything that irritates the bladder. It can also be caused by bowel problems or damage to the nervous system associated with multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, stroke or injury.
Overflow Incontinence: If a woman frequently or constantly dribbles urine, she may have overflow incontinence. This is an inability to fully empty the bladder, leading to overflow. Overflow incontinence is common in people with a damaged bladder or blocked urethra. Nerve damage from diabetes also can lead to overflow incontinence and some medications can cause or increase the risk of developing overflow incontinence.
Mixed Incontinence: If a woman experiences symptoms of more than one type of urinary incontinence, such as stress incontinence and urge incontinence, she may have mixed incontinence. Usually one type is more bothersome than the other.
Functional Incontinence: Many older adults experience incontinence simply because a physical or mental impairment keeps them from making it to the toilet in time. For example, a person with severe arthritis may not be able to unbutton his or her pants quickly enough or someone with Alzheimer's disease may not plan well enough to make a timely trip to the toilet.