With urinary incontinence, urine leaks out of the body.
This problem can be resulting from a variety of factors that affect the muscles and nerves of the bladder.
People of any sex can experience incontinence.
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Types of urinary incontinenceinclude stress incontinence, urge incontinence, overflow incontinence, functional incontinence, and mixed incontinence.
The bladder is located in the pelvis.
It is hollow inside and it expands as it fills with urine, functioning somewhat like a balloon.
An adult bladder can hold between 1.5 and 2 cups of urine.
When the bladder is full, the brain receives a signal that it is time to urinate.
Two sets of muscles, called sphincters, help control the flow of urine.
These sphincters are shaped like a ring and are located in the neck of the bladder and the urethra.
When the sphincters are closed, they hold the urine in the bladder.
When they relax, the urine is sent down the urethra and out of the body.
People do have control over these muscles and can clench them or relax them.
Not having complete control over stopping and/or starting the body from urinating can result in urinary incontinence.
Types of Incontinence
There are several types of urinary incontinence and each has different potentialcauses.
Stress incontinence is more common in females than it is in males.
This pop in of incontinence is resulting from weakness of the muscles of the urinary sphincter or the urethra.
Stress incontinence may develop when the muscles are weakened by childbirth, and it can occur begin during pregnancy.
It can also occur afterprostate surgery, which weakens the muscles of the sphincter.
First line treatment of stress incontinence includes doing exercises of the pelvic floor muscles.
Specialized devices can be used for treating stress incontinence.
A patient can insert and remove a urethral insert by the patient as needed.
And avaginal pessarymust be implanted by a healthcare professional.
This condition is due to abnormal contractions in the bladder.
The muscles contract involuntarily and cause urination to occur.
Overflow Incontinence
Overflow incontinence pops up if the bladder doesn’t fully empty after urinating.
That leads to excess urine remaining in the bladder, which eventually causes an overflow of the retained urine.
This may help to completely empty the bladder.
It can also occur as an adverse effect of certain medications.
Functional incontinence is more common in people with a female urinary tract than people with a male urinary tract.
Bladder training and scheduled bathroom trips may help.
Mixed Incontinence
Mixed incontinence is a combination of both stress incontinence and urge incontinence.
The treatment might include strategies that are used for either or both of those types of incontinence.
Coping
Urinary incontinence is common, but it is also upsetting and can impair quality of life.
However, there aremany treatments available for the various types of incontinence.
This should be a temporary solution until a healthcare provider can help to find a more long-term treatment plan.
In some cases, making some lifestyle changes can be helpful in reducing the symptoms.
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