Did you know that 1 in 4 women between the ages of 30 and 60 and 1 in 6 women over the age of 40 experience urinary incontinence?
What is urinary incontinence?
Urinary incontinence means accidental urine discharge and it is caused by the weakening of the pelvic muscles that can no longer hold the bladder or the urethra in the anatomical position. That’s why it manifests itself when you perform activities that increase the intra-abdominal pressure, such as coughing, sneezing, laughing or when there is no toilet within your reach.
Urinary incontinence generally affects the elderly (more than 80% of the population over 60 has nocturia), but not only: 1 in 4 women aged 30 to 60 and 1 in 6 women over 40 have urinary incontinence.
Types of urinary incontinence
The urgent and unannounced need to go to the toilet are signs that you suffer from urinary incontinence. Stress incontinence is usually associated with pregnancy, but also with the postmenopausal period. However, stress incontinence is not the only type of urinary incontinence you can suffer from.
Urge incontinence (urgency), by contrast, it has no clear cause, although it can sometimes happen due to neurological problems. This type of incontinence is more common in people who have diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis or have suffered a stroke. It can also be an early sign of bladder cancer.
Some women may experience both types of incontinence at the same time or may develop problems due to a urinary tract infection.
Overflow incontinence occurs when a small amount of urine leaks from a full bladder and is often caused by diabetes and spinal cord injuries.
Functional incontinence is specific to people with normal bladder control, but who cannot reach the toilet in time due to conditions which prevent rapid movement, such as arthritis.
Urinary incontinence can affect your life both medically (urinary infections or local lesions such as ulcers or mycoses may occur) and psychosocially (embarrassment, depression, isolation), as well as economically (special care for urological pads, mattress pads, urinary catheters).