Causes of Urinary Incontinence in Women

Published on: August 8, 2017

It is very common for women to have urinary incontinence, especially as they get older. However, bladder control issues can happen at any age and can be caused by many different factors. There are two main types of female urinary incontinence, stress and urge. The stress form is predicated by some outside pressure on the bladder, while urge is when the need to urinate is more frequent and urgent, sometimes causing urine leakage.

Women can experience either stress or urge incontinence, or both. With stress incontinence, a small amount of urine may leak when you laugh, run or sneeze. Urge can happen when you are unable to make it to the restroom when you have an urgent need to urinate. Some of the possible causes of incontinence in women include: 

  • Weakened muscles in the lower abdomen. This can occur from child birth, weight gain and other factors, causing less control of your urinary muscles. This is often the cause of stress incontinence.
  • Damage to the urinary tract. Trauma, surgery or illnesses can damage the urinary tract or nerves that control your urine flow.
  • Neurological disorders. For urge incontinence, the problem may not reside in the pelvic region, but instead be a neurological disorder from diseases like Parkinson’s or a stroke.

In some cases, the exact cause of urinary incontinence is not known. However, regardless of the cause, there are treatment solutions. Women can visit their OB/GYN to discuss their urinary incontinence treatment options. Often treatments can be as simple as using certain exercises to strengthen the muscles. There are also medications, medical appliances and even surgery to treat incontinence.

You do not need to live with the embarrassment of female urinary incontinence. Talk to your OB/GYN to learn more about treatment options.

Posted on behalf of
Marietta OB-GYN Affiliates, P.A.
699 Church Street #220
Marietta, GA 30060
(770) 422-8505

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