urinary incontinence
stress incontinence
Stress incontinence is the leakage of urine when a woman sneezes, coughs, laughs or performs physical activities. It affects about 10-20% of women. This is usually caused by weak pelvic floor muscles, often related to childbirth. It is also more common in women who are overweight or obese. Strengthening the pelvic floor and/or losing weight can help with this condition.
urge incontinence
You have an urgent desire to pass urine. Sometimes urine leaks before you have time to get to the toilet. The bladder muscle contracts too early and the normal control is reduced. In most cases, the cause of urge incontinence is not known. This is called idiopathic urge incontinence. It seems that the bladder muscle gives wrong messages to the brain and the bladder may feel fuller than it actually is. Sometimes urge incontinence can occur because of problems with the nervous system (the brain, spinal cord and other nerves in the body).