This is a factsheet that aims to give you more information about incontinence.

Incontinence is the term given to an inability to control urine elimination, which means that sufferers find themselves accidentally passing urine. Up to three million people in Britain suffer from this embarrassing condition, & it's especially widespread in females that are over 40 years old.

Why:

Urinary incontinence occurs when the usual process of passing urine is interrupted. Incontinence in women can sometimes be due to weak pelvic floor muscles. The weakness in these muscles can cause urine to leak out of the bladder. These muscles can be made weaker by childbirth, age, the menopause and a number of other factors.

Symptoms:

Incontinence's symptoms vary depending on the sufferer. A handful of incontinence sufferers experience bladder leakage constantly, while other people only suffer from leakage when pressure is placed on their bladder such as when they bend over or sneeze.

Urinary incontinence can also refer to bed wetting, which is most common in children but can also affect older people.

Types:

There are many different types of incontinence that incontinence sufferers can experience & we have listed a number of the most common below.

First of all, there is overflow incontinence. This is when the amount of urine is actually larger than the size of your bladder, so urine leakage occurs. You may feel as though your bladder is never fully empty, so some incontinence sufferers may find themselves spending lots of time in the bathroom.

Functional incontinence is another form of incontinence. This form is when you know you want to go to urinate, but you cannot get to the bathroom due to a communication issue or physical problem.

There is also mixed form incontinence, which is when incontinence sufferers experience more than one form of incontinence. This could occur if a person with overflow incontinence had worsening Alzheimer’s disease, which would also give them functional incontinence.

Treatment:

If you have recognised some of the incontinence symptoms in this article and think you might be suffering from this ailment, don't worry. Just visit your Dr and speak to them about the range of treatments that are available for you to try.

A handful of the treatments for incontinence the Dr might mention are pelvic floor exercises, bladder training or a course of medication. In addition to these treatments, there are also a wide variety of products available that will help you to keep your symptoms under control. These include disposable and washable pants & pads to keep you dry throughout the night and day, as well as a wide variety of bed protection products and toiletries that will help you feel fantastic again.