The bladder usually stores urine until you choose to empty it. Urinary incontinence occurs when you pass water involuntarily. It can happen to people at any age. In the United Kingdom, at least 3 million adults cannot control their bladders as they would wish.
The condition affects far more women than men. It affects one in five women over 40 years old. Although incontinence is not a life-threatening problem, it can be very embarrassing for those who suffer from it, severely affecting confidence.
Please note: the information below does not constitute medical advice. If you have any concerns at all, speak to your GP or consultant.
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If you are worried about your urinary symptoms, download the My WaterWorks Medical app and fill in the questionnaire which can be presented to your GP.
Get your NEED TO PEE card today. If you struggle with incontinence, this card could help you to get access to a toilet when you need it.
The main symptom of incontinence is involuntary loss of urine, but the circumstances can vary depending on the type of incontinence you have.
Sometimes you may leak urine without any warning at all. This is the most common type of incontinence in children who have a day or night wetting problem, and in the elderly. It can also occur at other ages, in a variety of circumstances.
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Your doctor will ask you lots of questions to find out if the incontinence follows any pattern. He or she will also check past medical history and other factors that may play a role. In some cases, you'll be asked you to keep a diary of your toilet trips. Following this you may need:
If your incontinence has not got better after initial treatment, you may be sent to a urologist who will carry out more detailed tests of the lower urinary tract, including:
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Sometimes, such as with a mild bacterial infection, your UTI symptoms will disappear following a course of antibiotics. However, if there is no obvious underlying cause, then treatment will focus on the incontinence itself.
There are several things that you can do to help improve your bladder control:
Some medicines can help, depending on the type of incontinence. Medication can:
Hormone replacement therapy may also relieve stress incontinence through its effect on muscle function.
In the case of stress incontinence, the following two treatments may be offered to you. Both of these methods work on the principle of applying pressure around the urethra, so that urine is less likely to leak out.
For cases of overflow incontinence, catheterisation is an option. A thin flexible tube is inserted through the urethra and into the bladder. The tube is held in place, and the bladder is emptied through the tube into a bag.
For information about living with a urinary catheter from people who know, go to:http://www.healthtalkonline.org/chronichealthissues/Living_with_a_urinary_catheter
Surgery is rarely a first-choice treatment for urinary incontinence. It is usually offered if other treatments have been unsuccessful.
A number of protective devices can help to manage accidental urination, including:
If you use absorbent pads, they should be applied correctly and changed often to prevent skin irritation and urinary tract infection.
Speak to your GP if you have any concerns about urinary incontinence symptoms and treatment options. You can also find other useful websites via our links section.
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Ms Jean Rumveye - A new way to manage male urinary incontinence
Jean is using funding from TUF to design a new product to make life easier for men with urinary incontinence.
Jean is a registered nurse who noticed that products that are designed to help men with urinary incontinence were often failing. They left patients with skin irritation, pressure sores, low quality of life, and high dependence levels.
Jean has designed a new urine sheath for men that she believes will improve patient care and quality of life for men with incontinence. She is using funding from TUF to test this new sheath to determine whether it can be rolled out across the NHS. The testing of Jean’s product will begin with 80 men at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and she hopes it won’t be long before it’s accessible to men across the country.
If successful, it could reduce a lot of the pain, discomfort, and dependence that men so often encounter with urinary incontinence today.
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Donate today to be a part of this fight. Or, to find out other ways you could support TUF, visit our Get Involved page.