What Causes Urinary Incontinence
Suhanee Chudasama
RN-BSN
Urinary incontinence can be caused by a variety of health issues, and it affects millions of people around the world. Dealing with incontinence is not uncommon, and can be handled properly with the right knowledge and products. It's important to not add stress to your daily life and with some guidance from WellBefore, we’ve got you covered when it comes to your incontinence struggles.
WellBefore carries several urinary incontinence products made for all types of people. With WellBefore products, you can feel confident knowing you're fully protected on a daily basis.
What Is Urinary Incontinence?
Urinary incontinence is when you have urine leakage that you cannot control. Urinary incontinence can feel like somewhat of a taboo topic, and because of this, most will suffer in silence as they have a hard time telling people around them what they are experiencing.
Urinary incontinence doesn't only affect your physical health. When left unaddressed, urinary incontinence can affect emotional, social, and psychological aspects of your life.
First things first, let’s cover the types of incontinence.
The Four Types of Urinary Incontinence
Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI)
When weak pelvic muscles are unable to control urine flow, oftentimes, leakage can occur while exercising or moving around.
Bending, stretching, coughing, and sneezing can also cause leakage in cases of stress incontinence. SUI is more common in women than men. Kegel exercises may be able to help.
Overactive Bladder (OAB)
With OAB, also known as urge incontinence, your brain believes your bladder is full and needs to empty, even when it’s not full.
Overactive bladder muscles pushing urine out, even when there is a lack of necessity, causes OAB. OAB is found more frequently in men with prostate problems but can also affect women after menopause.
Mixed Incontinence (SUI and OAB)
This diagnosis is when a person has urine leaks due to physical activity like a cough or has the constant urge to use the bathroom.
Overflow Incontinence
When the body produces too much urine for the bladder to hold, it can cause constant dripping to happen or frequent small amounts of urination, regardless of fluid intake.
This kind of urinary incontinence is rare in women and most often occurs in men with a medical history of prostate problems or those who have had prostate surgery.
There is also functional incontinence which is common in older people and has less to do with a physical cause for the involuntary loss of urine. Instead, it centers around a lack of mobility that makes it difficult to use the toilet physically.
The WellBefore team wants you to feel confident in your skin again. No matter what kind of incontinence that you struggle with, you should be covered. With multiple urinary incontinence products, we want you to take back your life—and your bladder control.
What Causes Urinary Incontinence?
Urinary incontinence does not just affect older people! It affects people of all ages and is caused by several medical problems.
This common misinterpretation leads to embarrassment for someone who experiences urinary incontinence but is not elderly.
Men and women experience different forms of urinary incontinence due to a variety of reasons. While urinary incontinence can affect men and women in the same way, it’s important to understand some of the differences so you can determine why you may be experiencing a form of urinary incontinence.
Causes of Urinary Incontinence in Women- Pregnancy
Almost half of the women who become pregnant will experience urinary incontinence. This is because while the baby is growing inside the uterus, it pushes on the bladder, urethra, and pelvic floor muscles. This pressure weakens the pelvic muscles and leads to urine leaks . Your muscles must heal after pregnancy for your urination process to go back to normal.
- Childbirth
During labor and vaginal birth, some of the pelvic floor muscles experience trauma from overuse. This causes nerve damage and requires your body to heal for weeks to allow your pelvic floor muscles to recuperate and return to normal function.
- Menopause
Your urethra and bladder muscles lose some of their strength, as all muscles do as you age. During menopause, you produce less estrogen, which may weaken the urethra.
Causes of Urinary Incontinence in Men
- Enlarged Prostate
This is a common health issue that men get as they get older. It blocks the flow of urine leaving the bladder, causing unknown leaking.
General Causes of Urinary Incontinence
In general, the following are also causes of urinary incontinence:
-
Aging
As people get older, their muscles weaken, causing a multitude of issues. The pelvic muscle will also weaken, causing unwarranted leakage of small amounts of urine. -
Weight
Additionally, if you have become overweight, excess weight can push down onto the urethra and cause the muscles to weaken. -
Nerve Damage
Childbirth and health problems can cause nerve damage in the urethral sphincter, bladder, or pelvic floor muscles. -
Neurological Disorders
Different neurological disorders can be the reason for urinary incontinence. Losing muscle function due to a stroke, multiple sclerosis, kidney issues, memory loss, etc., can cause your bladder to leak, as can certain medications. -
Smoking
Smoking is connected to several different urologic illnesses. By cutting back or quitting, you limit the chances of developing urinary incontinence later in life.
Products That Can Help With Urinary Incontinence
It’s hard to feel confident when you’re worried about where the closest bathroom will be. WellBefore supplies many products that are essential to have for your urinary incontinence.
From bed pads to adult diapers and liners, we’ve got the right product for you:
Adult Diapers
Adult diapers are full coverage products from WellBefore. Adult diapers come in two different styles: pull-ups and tabbed.
Pull-up adult diapers are easier to get into and require less help when wearing.
They can be easily put on and taken off. WellBefore adult diapers are highly absorbent and very comfortable to wear. They work best for urine incontinence because they are easy to change. However, they might not be as secure for fecal incontinence. If you deal with mobility difficulties, adult diapers are a great option because you will feel secure and comfortable all day.
Adult diapers with tabs are best suited for someone who requires help putting the diapers on. The tabs are great because they fit securely to your body and allow you to adjust them. Because of their strength and function, these diapers are required to be secured onto your body, so they can be difficult to change out of on your own.
Check out our post on Choosing the Best Adult Diapers for more information.
Incontinence Briefs & Underwear
If you are looking for more discreet protection from leakage during the day, we have incontinence briefs and underwear. There are plenty of specialized boxer briefs for men and lighter underwear for women made to be worn underneath normal clothes without giving you a puffy look that diapers can give. Incontinence briefs and underwear can help limit embarrassment from dealing with urinary incontinence.
If you struggle with prostate issues and cannot control your bladder, incontinence briefs help you feel comfortable during your daily activities.
For pregnant women or those who have just had a baby, lighter underwear might be your best option. You can still be mobile and active without having to worry about a leak. Urinary incontinence shouldn’t deter you, and WellBefore carries the products to help customers with that.
Liners & Bed Pads
For those who do not like the feel of a diaper, yet need more protection than lighter underwear or briefs provide, consider purchasing absorbent bed pads or adhesive liners that can be attached to your underwear.
WellBefore carries many different adhesive liners and large bed pads for ultimate protection. Sleep is essential, and you should be protected while resting. Using a bed pad can help to absorb liquid throughout the night so that you wake up feeling refreshed.
For those who want similar protection to a diaper, absorbent adhesive liners that stick onto your underwear are helpful. These are easy to change and can be carried with you in a bag discreetly to be accessible wherever and whenever.
Buy Urinary Incontinence Products at WellBefore
Living with urinary incontinence does not mean your life is over; it just means you have to make adjustments. With products from WellBefore, you can find comfort in knowing you will be protected no matter what.
Sources:
Urinary Incontinence in Older Adults | National Institute on Aging
Urinary Incontinence | Women's Health
Incontinence: Symptoms & Treatment | Urology Health
Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (Bph) - Symptoms And Causes | Mayo Clinic