Health
What Is Urinary Incontinence?
Urinary incontinence is when there is no control over urine leaking. It is an embarrassing thing to deal with. It is hard to determine how many Americans suffer from urinary incontinence because many people suffer in silence. They believe that nothing can be done to help them. It is roughly estimated that 25% – 33% of Americans suffer from urinary incontinence. To learn more about urinary incontinence read below.
Normal Urinary Function
The brain and bladder work together to control urinary function. The bladder is where urine is stored until it is ready to be emptied. To be able to urinate, the brain sends the muscles of the bladder a signal to tighten. This squeezes the urine out of the bladder. The brain also sends signals to the sphincters to relax. Once the sphincter relax’s, you are able to urinate.
Who Is At Risk:
- Old age
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- Stroke
- High Blood Pressure
- Smoking
- Women
- Pregnancy
- Delivering a baby
- Number of children a women gives birth to
- Post menopause
- Men
- prostate problems
Symptoms Of Urinary Incontinence
- Leaking urine
- Weak pelvis or sphincter muscles
- Bladder muscles contract too much
- Bladder is too full but will not release
Types Of Urinary Incontinence
The symptoms that you experience determine the type of urinary incontinence you have. There are four types of urinary incontinence. They are:
- Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI) – When you have stress urinary incontinence the pelvic muscles are weak and this allows urine to escape. This is the most common form of urinary incontinence and more prevalent in older women.
- Overactive Bladder (OAB) – When a person suffers from overactive bladder, the brain signals to empty out the bladder even when it is not full. The bladder muscles contract to let out urine before the bladder is full. This makes a person feel the need to urinate much more often.
- Overflow Incontinence – Overflow incontinence is when a person’s body is not able to completely empty out the their bladder. This leads to an overflow of urine, which causes urine to leak.
- Mixed Incontinence (SUI & OAB) – Mixed urinary incontinence is a combination of stress urinary incontinence and overactive bladder. An individual can leak urine and feel the urge to urinate even though their bladder is not full.
If you suffer from urinary incontinence do not be embarrassed. It is more common than you think! There are many treatments that can help. Make sure to make an appointment with your physician today so that you do not have to suffer any longer.
