Bladder Control

Women of all ages suffer from various types of bladder problems, which vary as to cause and contributing factors. Some are due to weakness of the pelvic fascio-muscular supports, while in other women the problem is caused by nerve damage. In some women, the bladder control is affected by various medications for neurologic problems.
To help women with regaining bladder control, it is important to identify the type of bladder control that is affected in each case. The main types of bladder problems in women are temporary, stress, urge, and mixed incontinence, but other pathologies may be observed as well.

Temporary or transient incontinence
Temporary or transient incontinence is a short-lived episode of loss of control over the escape of urine …show more content…
Estrogen drops in the specific phases of the menstrual cycle may weaken the urethra and also provoke stress incontinence.

Urge incontinence
Some women report that when they feel the need to pass urine, the urge is strong,sudden and uncontrollable, being followed by the escape of urine almost at once. This points to the loss of bladder control from nerve damage, as occurs in diabetes mellitus, a cerebrovascular accident, or an infection.

Mixed incontinence
Mixed incontinence represents a combination of urine leakage following a sudden sneeze or cough, along with other episodes of urge incontinence. It is also considered the leading cause of incontinence in women in the community, but also in the hospital setting.

Functional incontinence
Functional incontinence is not so much a problem of the bladder as it is of the affected person’s mobility and cognition. If, for example, a woman cannot move to the bathroom whenever she needs to, she may urinate where she is once the bladder capacity is far exceeded. Furthermore, the ability to urinate on cue may be affected by physical or mental weakness.

Overactive