Symptoms

The main symptom of urinary incontinence is a problem controlling urination.

• Symptoms of stress incontinence:
  • Involuntary release of urine, especially when you cough, sneeze, or laugh
  • Leaking a small to moderate amount of urine
• Symptoms of urge incontinence:
  • Frequent and sudden uncontrollable need to urinate
  • May leak a moderate to large amount of urine, although a small amount is possible

It is common for a woman to have symptoms of both types of incontinence. This is called mixed incontinence.

What Happens

Urinary incontinence usually starts gradually and slowly becomes worse. As it gets worse, a woman may:

• Avoid going out in public because of embarrassment.
• Become less active.
• Have physical problems caused by frequent urine contact. These problems may include irritation of the groin area and more frequent urinary tract infections.

Treating the cause of incontinence often gets rid of or controls these problems.

Some bladder problems are temporary. For example, you may have a urinary tract infection that causes incontinence, but the problem goes away after the infection is cured.

What Increases Your Risk

Sometimes several things combine to cause urinary incontinence. For example, a woman may have had multiple childbirths, be older, and have a severe cough because of chronic bronchitis or smoking. All of these might contribute to her incontinence problem.

Physical conditions that make urinary incontinence more likely include:

• Pregnancy and vaginal delivery.
• Having had a hysterectomy.
• Obesity or being overweight.
• Older age.
• Bladder stones.
• Structural abnormalities of the urinary tract.
• Blockage of the bladder.
• Chronic bladder infections.

Diseases and conditions that may cause urinary incontinence include:

• Chronic cough due to smoking or bronchitis.
• Pelvic organ prolapse.
• Diabetes.
• Parkinson's disease.
• Alzheimer's disease.
• Multiple sclerosis.
• Bladder cancer.
• Stroke.
• Spinal cord injury.

Medicines and foods that may make urinary incontinence worse include:

• Caffeinated and carbonated drinks, such as coffee, tea, and soda pop.
• Alcohol drinks.
• Prescription medicines that increase urine production (such as diuretics) or relax the bladder (such as anticholinergics and antidepressants).
• Smoking.