If a bit of urine leaks out when you cough or sneeze — or if you can only “hold it” for a few seconds when you have the urge to go to the bathroom — you’re not alone. Female urinary incontinence is very common, and millions of women experience it at some point.
As common as female urinary incontinence may be, it isn’t a normal part of womanhood or the aging process. And it isn’t something you have to struggle with, either.
At Capital Women’s Care in Frederick and Mount Airy, Maryland, our expert team offers a full range of treatment solutions for women coping with chronic incontinence. Read on to learn why women are more susceptible to this problem and how we can help.
Urinary incontinence — either in the form of involuntary urinary leakage or the loss of bladder control when the urge “to go” strikes — is an awkward, unwanted problem that affects twice as many women as men.
Female urinary incontinence is also increasingly common with age, affecting up to 30% of younger women in their late twenties and thirties, up to 40% of middle-aged women in their forties, and about 50% of older women following menopause.
Women are more likely to experience the spontaneous loss of urine for various reasons. Most cases of female urinary incontinence can be traced to one of the following:
From early adulthood until middle age, pregnancy, and vaginal childbirth are the primary causes of female urinary leakage. Carrying and delivering a baby can compromise urinary control by weakening your pelvic floor muscles and damaging the nerves that help control your bladder; urinary incontinence risk increases with each subsequent pregnancy.
In middle age and beyond, female urinary incontinence becomes even more common because of perimenopause and menopause. Dwindling estrogen levels lead to drier, thinner connective tissues, both in your vagina and in the lining of your urethra, or the short tube that allows urine to leave your bladder and your body.
It’s common for your bladder-supporting pelvic floor muscles to weaken with age, in a process known as “pelvic relaxation.” Altogether, the cumulative effects of having children, going through menopause, and aging are why half of all women find themselves dealing with urinary leakage in their later years.
Urinary incontinence causes the accidental leaking of urine in a few drops or a more intense level of outflow. You may find yourself leaking urine:
The nature of your urinary leakage determines its type. While it’s possible to have mixed incontinence (i.e., symptoms of both stress and urge incontinence), most cases of urinary leakage fall into one of the following categories:
The most common type of urinary incontinence causes urinary leakage when physical movement puts pressure on the bladder. Stress incontinence may make you leak urine during intercourse or when you cough, sneeze, laugh, exercise, or lift something heavy.
Urge incontinence is the strong, sudden urge to urinate, followed by uncontrollable leakage when you don’t make it to a toilet quickly enough. Sometimes referred to as an “overactive bladder,” urge incontinence can lead to nocturia or waking multiple times each night with a strong urge to urinate.
Luckily, there’s a lot you can do to improve or even resolve urinary leakage, and we can help. At Capital Women’s Care, most of our urinary incontinence patients have had great success with a multi-faceted care approach that includes some combination of:
Female urinary incontinence may be common, but it’s neither a foregone conclusion nor an inevitable part of having children or getting older that you must passively accept.
Call us today to learn more or to schedule a visit at your nearest Capital Women’s Care office in Frederick or Mount Airy, Maryland.
