Types and Symptoms of Female Urinary Incontinence
Bladder leakage (or urinary incontinence) is a medical condition shared by millions of women.1 To better understand bladder leakage, it is important to explain urinary incontinence and the different types of incontinence.
Urinary Incontinence (UI) is the involuntary loss of urine from the body. UI can be frequent or occasional. The loss of urine can range from a few dribbles to a complete emptying of the bladder.
There are several types of UI, including:
- Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI) occurs when urine leaks during exercise, coughing, sneezing, laughing or any movement that puts pressure (stress) on the bladder.
- Urge Urinary Incontinence involves the sudden and unstoppable loss of urine – the sudden urge to go.
- Mixed Urinary Incontinence is a combination of stress and urge incontinence.
- Overactive Bladder (OAS) is the urgent need to urinate. OAB can result in urinating with excessive frequency – more than eight times a day or more than once at night – as well as urgency, a strong and sudden desire to urinate. Overactive bladder is also referred to as urge incontinence.
There are many different types of urinary incontinence, but the most common are stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and urge incontinence, which can also be called overactive bladder (OAB). Women can often show symptoms from more than one category (mixed incontinence), so it is important to seek a specialist to ensure you find the treatment that is right for you.