Top 5 Signs Urinary Incontience May Be Sneaking Up On You

You may have Urinary Incontinence and Not Even Realize it

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Our bodies can act kind of funny sometimes. Every once in a while our will feel or do things out of the ordinary. And then it never happens again! So if you experience discomfort or urine leakage, you may think it is a temporary anomaly. Well, urine leakage is generally not normal behavior for your body. If you experience any of these 5 signs, you may have Urinary Incontinence.

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1. When you sneeze, cough or laugh, you pee a little bit. Or a lot…

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With Stress Urinary Incontinence you will notice the leakage of urine when you flex your abdominal muscles. With the combination of weakened pelvic floor muscles (caused by pregnancy, injury, etc.) and exerted pressure on the bladder, it is very likely you may experience Stress Urinary Incontinence. Actions like coughing, sneezing, laughing, standing, exercising, put pressure on the bladder and can cause leakage. If you leak urine during sexual intercourse or weight training exercise this could be another sign of Stress Urinary Incontinence. Physical movement pertaining to pelvic floor area such as sex, or excess gravitational pressure on the bladder, like weight training, will definitely cause bladder leakage if you have Stress Urinary Incontinence.

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3. You have the sudden urge to urinate even when your bladder isn’t full.

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Urge Incontinence occurs when you have a sudden urge to urinate. With Urge Incontinence your muscles are hyper active, this is why it is also known as Overactive Bladder. The bladder contracts when it should not causing urine to flow through the sphincter muscles, and out of the urethra. Your bladder may spasm, making you believe you are about to experience leakage. If these symptoms of Urge Urinary Incontinence are associated with pain in the pelvic region, lower stomach, and burning or painful urination it could be an indicator of a greater issue, like kidney stones.

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2. You’re going to the bathroom way more than usual.

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If you are making trips to the toilet more than seven times a day when drinking the same amount of fluid you usually do, you may have Urinary Incontinence. Generally frequent bathroom trips are cause by the urgent need to use the bathroom. This urgent need can occur even when you have a small amount of urine in your bladder. Generally frequency issues are associated with the symptoms of Overactive Bladder, or Urge Incontinence. With Overactive Bladder your bladder may be more sensitive, and contracts when it does not need to.

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While most people urinate about 6-7 times a day, 4-10 times a day can also be normal. A lot of this has to do with what foods and beverages you are consuming, or what medications you take. Some medications for high-blood pressure can act as a diuretic, making you pee more.

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That being said, if you find yourself going to the bathroom an uncomfortable amount, talk to your doctor. You may have other health issues and or Urge Incontinence.

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4. You wet yourself before reaching a toilet.

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Urge Urinary Incontinence and Stress Urinary Incontinence could be causing you to wet yourself before reaching a toilet. These conditions may impede the way you function in public because of the uncomfortable and awkward fear of wetting yourself. So you may avoid frequent trips to the bathroom, or the urge comes on so suddenly you simply cannot get there in time. You may have Mixed Urinary Incontinence as well, where you have leakage linked to urge and stress. If you wet yourself at night, due to lack of warning you may have Overflow Urinary Incontinence. With Overflow Urinary Incontinence your brain signals don’t always reach your bladder on time, so you do not reach the toilet on time. If these symptoms continue, you may want to invest in adult pull-ups or adult disposable diapers to contain leakage.

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5. Urinating is difficult for you, so you experience light leakage throughout the day.

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When the bladder does not empty properly and you experience “dribbling”, or leakage of urine, you may have Overflow Urinary Incontinence. This is due to the inability of bladder muscles to squeeze properly, making it difficult to completely empty the bladder of urine. Because the bladder is unable to empty completely, it quickly fills up with any liquid intake. With weak muscles and an obstruction in your bladder flow you may constantly feel full, like there is a tightly tied water balloon sitting in your pelvis. You may also feel strained when attempting to urinate.

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With this information you can properly evaluate the way your body is acting. Pay attention to your bladder and frequency of urination. By doing this you can avoid future accidents, health issues, and discomfort. Don’t be afraid to speak to a professional, Urinary Incontinence is very common and nothing to be ashamed of.