Normally, you can control the muscles that keep urine in the bladder so you go only when you want to. But sometimes you may leak urine when you don’t want to. Leaks may happen once in a while or more often. This condition is called urinary incontinence.
The two most common types of urinary incontinence are urgency incontinence and stress incontinence.
Urgency incontinence and overactive bladder (OAB)
Urgency incontinence is a condition in which you lose urine with a strong sudden urge to go and can’t get to the bathroom in time. These wetting accidents may make you rely on pads to deal with them.
Urgency incontinence is a key symptom of OAB. Prescription medicines can help reduce urgency incontinence symptoms. You can click here to learn more about a prescription medicine that may help.
About
stress incontinence
Stress incontinence is when urine leaks due to activities such as coughing, sneezing, running, or heavy lifting. It’s caused by weakness of the muscles that help hold urine in the bladder. For people with stress incontinence, treatment options may involve lifestyle changes, including certain exercises and surgery. Prescription medicines that may work for urgency incontinence symptoms do not treat stress incontinence symptoms.
You can find out more about stress incontinence on these sites:
- The National Institute on Aging (www.nia.nih.gov)
- National Association for Continence (www.nafc.org)
- Women’s Health Foundation (www.womenshealthfoundation.org)
- Simon Foundation (www.simonfoundation.org)
Some people may experience a mix of both stress and urgency incontinence symptoms. Behavioral changes can help both types of incontinence. Prescription treatment options are available for urgency incontinence.
Understanding your incontinence symptoms
Only your doctor can diagnose the type of incontinence you may have and suggest treatment most appropriate for you. You can help him or her understand your incontinence symptoms by completing the simple assessment tool below.
The Three Incontinence Questions (3IQ) Assessment Tool
This 3-question assessment can help your doctor understand the condition you may have, and help determine if you have urgency incontinence, a symptom of overactive bladder (OAB). So don’t forget to complete the assessment and bring it to your next appointment.
Copyright © 2011 Pfizer Inc. All rights reserved. This information is intended only for residents of the United States.
The health information contained herein is provided for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace discussions with a healthcare provider.
All decisions regarding patient care must be made with a healthcare provider, considering the unique characteristics of the patient.
July 11, 2011 FSD00930A/288395-01
