Saketha has had two children. Recently she has noticed that when she sneezes or coughs, she loses a few drops of urine. Saketha has stress incontinence. Stress incontinence, which is the most common type of urinary incontinence in younger women, occurs when a woman coughs, laughs, or sneezes. As the condition gets worse, she may lose urine when she walks, runs, or does aerobics. This kind of leakage occurs when the tissues that support the bladder or the muscles of the urethra (urinary passage) get weak.

Tarangini is in her early sixties. She finds that she has to rush to the bathroom when she gets the urge to pass urine and even loses a few drops of urine before she can reach the bathroom. She has urge incontinence. This is sometimes called overactive bladder. It occurs if the muscles of the bladder are too active and contract too often. This leads to leakage of urine. This can also occur when there are problems with the nerves that send signals to the bladder.

What is urinary incontinence?

Urinary incontinence is the involuntary leakage of urine. It is more common in women than in men. At some time or the other in their lives, many women will leak small amounts of urine. These leaks can occur with certain physical activities or with other stress, such as coughing, laughing or sneezing. Some women may lose urine when they hear the sound of running water or when their hands are in water. Some women feel the sudden urge to urinate and cannot control it. Others leak urine only when they are pregnant.  When leaks become frequent or severe enough to be a problem, it is called urinary incontinence or los s of bladder control. Loss of bladder control is a common problem among women and there are several treatment options available. Urinary incontinence (leakage) can often be treated with success.

Unfortunately, women tend not to seek help from their doctors for this problem. More than one half of women who have symptoms do not seek medical care. They feel embarrassed or ashamed and try to hide the problem. Many women are depressed about it and avoid social occasions or long periods away from home.