It’s been said that everyone enjoys a good laugh, but for a large percentage of people, those chuckles are accompanied by urine leakage. Yes, we’re talking about urinary incontinence—a health taboo that really needs to be erased for good—because-guess what? It’s common! According to the Urology Care Foundation, up to one-third of adults in the United States, young and old, experience urinary incontinence. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to help prevent, improve, and live with urinary incontinence.
What Causes Urinary Incontinence?
Urinary incontinence (leakage) occurs for several reasons, one of which is because the muscles of the pelvic floor become weakened due to pregnancy, childbirth (especially multiple births), use of certain medications, being postmenopausal, or obesity. This type of urinary incontinence is known as “stress incontinence,” and typically occurs when there is pressure placed on the bladder, as when you cough, sneeze, laugh, lift, or exercise.“Urge incontinence” (aka, overactive bladder) is associated with damage to muscles, nerves of the bladder, or other parts of the nervous system, infections, or the presence of bladder stones. Individuals with multiple sclerosis, diabetes, stroke, or Parkinson’s disease may experience urge incontinence, as can men who have undergone prostate surgery or who have a prostate condition such as enlarged prostate or prostatitis.
