6 Common Causes of Urinary Incontinence

They say there’s safety in numbers, which may hold true if you find yourself among the millions of American men and women who cope with urinary incontinence. In fact, one-quarter to one-third of adults in the US suffer from urinary incontinence for various reasons. Whether or not you take some comfort in knowing you aren’t alone, the fact is that urinary incontinence is common, and there are new ways of addressing the issue.

At Health Solutions, our team believes that overall wellness (and confidence in that wellness) is both an inside and outside job. We address a wide range of women’s health and men’s health. 

In the following, we explore six reasons why women experience urinary incontinence. 

Types of urinary incontinence

Before we get into the six common causes of urinary incontinence, let’s quickly review the different types of the problem, which include:

• Stress incontinence — urinary leaks due to pressure (sneezing and coughing, for example)
• Urge incontinence — sudden urge to urinate and involuntary loss of urine
• Overflow incontinence — your bladder doesn’t completely void itself
• Mixed incontinence

Most cases of urinary incontinence are either stress or urge incontinence, and we explore some of the more common causes of these conditions below.

1. Infection

If you’ve had a urinary tract infection, you know the discomfort of feeling a constant urge to urinate, and when you try, little comes out. Thankfully, this type of urge incontinence is quickly remedied with a course of antibiotics.

2. Pregnancy

As your fetus grows, it places increasing pressure on your bladder, which leads to stress incontinence. 

3. Childbirth

If you deliver your child vaginally, you may experience incontinence afterward as childbirth can weaken the support systems for your bladder or damage the nerves in your bladder.

4. Prolapse

As women get older, they often report problems with urinary incontinence. This often occurs because of a natural weakening in your urinary tract’s support systems, which can lead to bladder prolapse (your bladder shifts down into your vaginal canal).

5. Menopause

When you transition through menopause, your reproductive hormones drop off precipitously, including estrogen. This hormone is associated with the health of your bladder lining and urethra, and in its absence, you may experience problems with incontinence.

6. Hysterectomy

If you’ve undergone a hysterectomy, it can damage or weaken your pelvic floor, which is the muscle responsible for supporting your bladder.

To learn more about the symptoms and possible causes of your urinary incontinence, contact the Health Solutions office nearest to you to set up a consultation.