Urinary incontinence

Urinary incontinence is when you have accidental wee leakage. It’s a common condition that can be treated, managed and often cured.

A normal bladder:

• can hold up to 600 ml of wee
• empties 4 to 6 times each day (every 3 to 4 hours) and up to once each night
• empties completely when you wee
• gives you enough time to get to the toilet
• doesn’t leak wee.

There are different types of urinary incontinence, including:

• urge incontinence – you have a strong urgency to wee and can’t hold on long enough to get to the toilet
• stress incontinence – wee leaks when you sneeze, cough, laugh or jump
• mixed incontinence – you experience urge and stress incontinence symptoms
• overflow incontinence – the bladder doesn’t empty properly and becomes overfull, causing it to leak.

The pelvic floor muscles (muscles that support the bladder, bowel and uterus) can stretch and weaken, leading to incontinence.
Incontinence can also happen when pelvic floor muscles are too tight (overactive).

Urinary incontinence may be caused by:

• pregnancy and childbirth
• pelvic organ prolapse
• constipation
• being overweight or obese
• chronic coughing
• changes around the time of menopause (when the pelvic floor muscles become weaker and the bladder less elastic)
• diabetes
• pelvic or abdominal surgery
• certain medicines, such as fluid tablets (diuretics).

Some people have stress incontinence, where sudden pressure on your bladder causes wee to leak out of your urethra. This might happen if you laugh, sneeze or lift something heavy.

Stress incontinence can happen if your pelvic floor muscles are weak or damaged, due to things like childbirth or age.

If you have symptoms of urinary incontinence, talk to your doctor or a continence nurse specialist.

They will ask about your medical history and symptoms, including:

• how often you go to the toilet
• how often you have wee leakage
• how much wee leaks
• when the wee leaks
• whether there is a burning sensation when you wee
• whether your bladder feels empty after weeing
• how often you wee during the day and at night
• how much fluid you drink.

They may test a urine sample for a urinary tract infection (UTI) or refer you to a specialist to do a pelvic floor muscle assessment.

There are many ways to prevent and manage urinary incontinence. For example:

• do regular pelvic floor muscle exercises
• eat a balanced diet, to avoid constipation and straining when going to the toilet
• avoid things that can irritate the bladder, for example, caffeine and alcohol
• do regular physical activity and maintain a healthy weight
• practise good toilet habits, such as only weeing when you need to, not ‘just in case’
• talk to your doctor about hormone medicines that might help.

Learn more about managing urinary incontinence by visiting the Continence Health Australia website.