Take the Urinary Incontinence Quiz
Incontinence means that you release urine when you don’t mean to. Incontinence is a common problem. Learn about the condition by taking this quiz. It can give you the courage and understanding you need to bring the subject up with your health care provider.
1. One type of incontinence is stress incontinence. Stress urinary incontinence means you release urine when you cough, sneeze, or do things like bend down, lift, or walk.
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Stress incontinence happens when the muscle around your urethra gets weak and doesn’t close all the way. Your urethra is the tube that drains urine from the bladder when you urinate. Anything you do that puts pressure on the bladder can cause urine to leak. The leaking stops when you stop the activity.
2. Stress urinary incontinence is most often caused when the pelvic muscles, nerves, and ligaments that surround the bladder and urethra get weak.
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In women, pregnancy and childbirth, a hysterectomy, and a lack of estrogen after menopause can add to the problem. In men, stress urinary incontinence can be caused by prostate surgery or radiation treatment for prostate cancer. These treatments can damage the bladder muscle (sphincter).
3. About 25 million Americans have some form of urinary incontinence.
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This number includes men and women of all ages. But most people with urinary incontinence are older than 60.
4. Urinary incontinence won't go away on its own.
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Sometimes stress urinary incontinence lasts only a short time.
5. People with urinary incontinence often make dramatic changes to their lifestyle.
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Many women wear sanitary pads or adult diapers and carry a change of clothing at all times. Millions of women stop doing things they enjoy because they are embarrassed by the odor and worry about possible accidents. This isolation makes their sense of shame and loss of dignity worse.
6. Urge urinary incontinence is also called a hyperactive bladder.
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Urge incontinence is also called hyperactive bladder or irritable bladder. It means that you can’t get to a toilet in time once you feel the urge to go. It happens when nerve passages from the bladder to the brain give the wrong signal. Or the brain can’t stop the bladder muscle from contracting. This causes the bladder muscle to be unstable. Urge incontinence in women can be caused by complications from a hysterectomy. In men, the bladder muscle can become unstable by an enlarged prostate or by prostate surgery. In both genders, it can be caused by aging, urinary infections, anxiety, or depression.
7. Overflow urinary incontinence occurs when the bladder isn't able to empty completely.
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Overflow incontinence means that leakage occurs when the bladder has too much urine in it. This happens when the bladder isn’t able to empty all the way. This can be caused by a blockage that keeps the bladder from emptying completely. It can be caused by a weak bladder muscle that can’t contract enough to empty the bladder. Tumors in men or women or enlarged prostates in men can block the flow of urine out of the bladder. Some blood pressure medicines can weaken the bladder muscle. Nerve damage to the spinal cord or pelvic nerves can also cause the bladder muscle to weaken.
8. Parkinson disease can be a cause of reflex urinary incontinence.
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Reflex incontinence is the loss of urine when you don’t know that you need to urinate. It may happen because of a problem with the opening between the bladder and another body structure. It can also happen because of a leak in the bladder, urethra, or ureter. It can also be caused by mental or physical problems that interfere with the normal signals from the nervous system to the bladder. These problems include Parkinson disease, Alzheimer disease, and depression.
9. About half of people with urinary incontinence can be cured or get relief from symptoms.
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The good news is that the number is 80%. Many conditions can cause temporary urinary incontinence. These include a urinary infection, drinking too many fluids (including caffeine), constipation, severe depression, and getting too little movement. The most common cause is a side effect of medicine. Medicines that can cause temporary incontinence include terazosin. This medicine is used to treat benign prostatic hypertrophy in men. Other drugs can cause it include oral decongestants with pseudoephedrine, beta-adrenergic blockers given for high blood pressure or angina, diuretics, antidepressants, and antihistamines.
10. Incontinence can be treated with behavioral therapy, urethral inserts, drugs, collagen implants, and other surgery.
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The treatment for urinary incontinence depends on what type it is and what’s causing it. Your health care provider can diagnose the type by using a variety of tests. These include X-rays, blood tests, urine analysis, and a check of how much urine your bladder can hold. He or she may also look at the condition of your sphincter, the pressure in your urethra, and the amount of urine left in the bladder after you urinate. If you have stress incontinence and are a woman, you can help control your condition by doing Kegel exercises. These exercises make the muscles around the neck of the bladder stronger. Tighten the muscles for 4 counts, then relax. Repeat this 10 to 20 times. The best way to handle urge incontinence is to set a timer and use the bathroom on a regular schedule. This might be a half-hour after a meal, 2 to 3 times between meals, and before going to bed. Overflow incontinence is common in older men. It can be prevented by getting treatment for an enlarged prostate when symptoms first show up. A urologist or therapist can help with this type of incontinence.
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