Urinary Incontinence Symptoms

Urinary incontinence refers to the reduced power on the release of urine from the bladder, which is experienced while sneezing, coughing, or laughing. Some experience small drops of urine, while some suffer from heavy flush. These experiences can occur frequently or occasionally. As per the surveys and studies conducted, it is found that these episodes of leakage are more prevalent in women as compared to men. And so, it is not surprising that women who are in their menopause stage are likely to suffer from these incontinence symptoms. This is because even menopause is one of the reasons leading to incontinence.

To understand incontinence completely, it is mandatory that you need to first recognize its symptoms before knowing the causes and treatment options. This article is dedicated to the incontinence symptoms wherein they are categorized as per the incontinence types. So, check it out!
 

• Types and SymptomsThere are six types of urinary incontinence of which three form the main ones. Listed below are these types along with their corresponding incontinence symptoms.
• Stress Incontinence:This is the most famous type of incontinence in which urine trickles involuntarily when the bladder witnesses pressure (stress) the moment you cough, sneeze, laugh, exercise, or lift some heavy things. Stress incontinence occurs because of the sudden pressure on the bladder walls that squeeze the bladder resulting in leakage of urine. As the women gets older, the pelvic muscles becomes weaker, which wanes the walls between the bladder and vagina leading to urine drips.
• Urge Incontinence: This type of incontinence is commonly seen in elderly people in which the need to urinate over seven times each day or over twice per night dominates. So, the symptoms here are a sudden and extreme desire to urinate and involuntary loss of urine. Herein, the bladder muscle shrinks such that you only have some few seconds to a minute to get to the toilet. This type is caused by urinary tract infections, bladder irritants, bowel problems, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, stroke, and nervous system damage.
• Overflow Incontinence:This is featured by frequent or persistent urine trickles. The problem is that a person suffering from this type is not able to empty the bladder fully making it to fill and overflow. Such a person always feels as if the bladder is still not empty and upon urination, only a weak flow of urine is seen. Those suffering from damaged bladders, nerve damage due to diabetes, or blocked urethras are more likely to have this problem.
• Mixed Incontinence: This is actually a combination of symptoms of more than one type of urinary incontinence. So, in this, you might suffer from both stress incontinence and urge incontinence.
• Functional Incontinence: There are many older adults who experience incontinence due to a physical or mental injury that prevents them to reach the toilet on time.
• Gross Total Incontinence:This refers to the continuous leakage of urine irrespective of whether it is day or night. It is characterized by the recurring unmanageable leaking of heavy urine drops. In this type of incontinence, the bladder just cannot store the urine. The causes behind this type can be an anatomical defect right from birth, injuries made to the spinal cord, damage to the urinary system, and odd opening (fistula) between the bladder and an adjoining part like the vagina.

Summarizing the basic incontinence symptoms - urine trickles while sneezing, coughing, or laughing; urine leaks while lifting something heavy or running; cannot reach a toilet in time after the intense desire to urinate; persistent dribbling even after urination; urine leakage after an intense urge to empty the bladder; and recurrent leakage of urine.

• Is There a Need to Call the Doctor?I know it’s not that easy to speak about incontinence with your doctor due to shyness. However, it is necessary to do so when the incontinence symptoms are frequent or if they are affecting your daily life. There are many reasons to look for medical guidance, which include to:
• Avoid any more serious underlying condition such as blood in your urine, which is a possible severe case of incontinence.
• Prevent any restrictions in necessary activities and social interactions for avoiding any kind of embarrassment.
• Reduce the risk of drops in older people.