Incontinence: The Facts

Incontinence is the term given to the unintentional passing of urine. Despite being embarrassing, it's a very common problem that's thought to affect three million people in Britain

Whatever your age or gender, anybody can suffer from incontinence. However, it's certainly more common in people that are older. In addition to this, the ailment affects many more women than guys, and it is thought to affect 1 in five women that are over 40 years of age.

Why Does Incontinence Occur?

Urinary incontinence occurs when the usual process of passing urine is obstructed. This can happen for a variety of reasons, which depends on the type of incontinence.

Weak pelvic floor muscles can sometimes cause incontinence in women. A weakness in these muscles can make urine leak out of the bladder, and they can be made weaker by pregnancy, age, obesity, the menopause and a number of other reasons.

Do I Have Incontinence?

Incontinence can display itself in a variety of different ways. Symptoms can vary from urine leakage during coughing, sneezing, or lifting, to smaller amounts of urine leaking or dribbling unexpectedly and constantly from the body.

If you've got any of these symptoms, go and visit your Dr for diagnosis & advice. Don't be nervous about the embarrassing nature of your problem - the Dr will frequently see patients with similar cases.

What Are the Different Types?

As you probably already know, there are several different kinds of incontinence. We've listed some of the most common strains of the ailment below.

Functional Incontinence is when you the sufferer is aware of a need to urinate but due to a physical or communication problem, they cannot get to the toilet fast enough.

Stress incontinence is the most common form of incontinence & it's particularly common in ladies who have had children. Stress incontinence sufferers find that urine leaks when they sneeze, or do any other kind of activity that places sudden pressure on the bladder.

If you have recognised some of the incontinence symptoms in this article and think you may be suffering from the problem, do not worry. Just pay your Dr a visit and chat to them about the range of treatments that are currently available.

What Treatments are Available?

Some of the incontinence treatments that the Dr may mention to you are pelvic floor exercises, bladder training or a course of medication.

In addition to undergoing treatment for this ailment, there is also a wide range of products available to help control your symptoms. These include washable and disposable pants & pads that will help with light incontinence. You will also find bed protection products on the market, in addition to a large number of hygiene products to keep you clean.

Article Source: http://www.articlesfeed.com

Sylvia Fontrellini is a full time carer for old people requiring incontinent pads, incontinence briefs and an adult nappy.

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