Incontinence, urinary

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Urinary incontinence is passing urine when you donâ€™t mean to because of partial or total loss of control of the bladder. It is estimated that 3-6 million people in the UK have some degree of incontinence. Urinary incontinence becomes more common as people get older but it does not only affect older people. It is twice as common in women than men and affects many women who have had children.

When you need to pass urine your bladder tells your brain it is full. Even when the bladder is full, the majority of people can control the need to urinate until they get to a toilet. Then your brain tells your pelvic floor muscles to relax and your sphincter (the opening at the neck of your bladder) to open. Your bladder muscle tightens (contracts) and pushes the urine out.

If you have incontinence, either the muscles or the nerve supply are not working properly to control your bladder. The two main types of urinary incontinence are stress incontinence (a small amount of urine leaks out during physical activity) and urge incontinence (the bladder empties completely).