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Urinary Incontinence
What causes it?
The ability to urinate properly depends mainly on a normally functioning urinary tract and nervous system. Many muscles, tubes, and nerves located in the urinary system work together to achieve good bladder control.
The process of urination involves two main phases:
- Filling of the bladder and storing of urine
- Emptying of the bladder
During the filling and storing phase, the bladder fills with urine from the kidneys, the organs responsible for removing waste from the blood and turning it into urine. From the kidneys, urine travels through a pair of tubes known as the ureters, which empty into the urinary bladder - the storage compartment for urine. An average urinary bladder stretches to hold up to 20 ounces of urine. When the bladder is full, a healthy nervous system would signal an urge to urinate.
During the emptying phase, the bladder?s detrusor muscle contracts to force out urine. At the same time, the urinary sphincter muscle at the bottom of the bladder relaxes, allowing urine to pass out of the body through another tube known as the urethra. Incontinence occurs if the muscles do not function properly.
Temporary causes of urinary incontinence include the following:
- Constipation
- Excessive fluid intake
- Heavy alcohol consumption
- Medications such as diuretics (water pills), muscle relaxants, sedatives, antidepressants, pain medications, and blood pressure medications known as calcium channel blockers
- Menopause
- Poorly controlled diabetes
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Urinary tract or vaginal infections
Permanent or long-term urinary incontinence may result from conditions such as:
- Birth defects
- Blockage from an enlarged prostate or prostate cancer
- Diabetes
- Kidney disease
- Neurological disorders such as Alzheimer?s disease, Parkinson?s disease, multiple sclerosis, and stroke
- Nerve or muscle damage following pelvic radiation
- Spinal cord injuries
- Weakened bladder muscles or sphincter muscles surrounding the urethra
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What causes it?
