Urge incontinenceis the sudden, uncontrollable urge to urinate (pee) accompanied by theloss of bladder control.
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Symptoms of Urge Incontinence
Urinary incontinenceis the loss of bladder control.
Urge incontinence is one of several forms of urinary incontinence.
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Thebladderis a hollow organ that receives urine from thekidneys.
As it begins to fill, the walls of the organ will gradually stretch.
Urge incontinence occurs because the bladder muscles either squeeze at the wrong time or squeeze convulsively (spasm).
At the same time, the bladder sphincter is either unable or less able to hold the urine back.
Many conditions can interfere with bladder control and lead to urge incontinence.
These include:
In many cases, the underlying cause of urge incontinence will never be found.
Who Is at Risk of Incontinence?
Females are twice as likely as males to experience urinary incontinence.
What Medications Can Cause Urge Incontinence?
In some cases, finding the right treatment can take time and requires a process of trial and error.
The options range from exercises and lifestyle changes to medications and surgery.
Oftentimes, a combination of treatments is needed.
Bladder Retraining
Bladder retraininginvolves relearning the skills needed to hold and release urine.
It involves setting regularly scheduled pee breaks during the day and avoiding peeing outside of these breaks.
How Effective Is Bladder Retraining?
By training these muscles as you would any other muscle, you may be able to avoid bladder leakage.
You may also need to avoid foods and beverages that either promote urination or cause bladder irritation.
Two surgeries sometimes used are:
Are There Tests to Diagnose the Cause of Urge Incontinence?
These includeurodynamic studiesthat evaluate how well your bladder and urethra sphincter work.
This is especially true if accompanied by severe flank pain and nausea or vomiting.
Some cases have no known cause.
There are many people of any sex over 60 and even 70 who have completely normal urinary function.
More importantly, you may discover an underlying medical condition in need of immediate treatment.
Urge incontinence is the loss of bladder control accompanied by the sudden, overwhelming urge to urinate.
Unlike most types of urinary incontinence, overflow incontinence is more common in males than in females.
Although urge incontinence and overactive bladder (OAB) are often used interchangeably, there is one small difference.
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