I shared the findings of a study that highlighted the high occurrence of female incontinence in American women in the previous post. This time, let us take a deeper look at this condition. What causes female incontinence? What are its symptoms? How do you know if you have incontinence? Thanks to WebMD, I was able to find detailed information on this condition.
First, let us take a look at the symptoms. Basically, the main symptom of female incontinence is the inability to control urination. This condition can be broken down into two, however. First, we have what is called stress incontinence. This is characterized by the involuntary release of urine when one laughs, coughs, or sneezes. This is in fact the most common form of female incontinence. Second, we have what is called urge incontinence. This is characterized by the frequent urge to urinate as well as an uncontrollable urge – which comes without warning – to urinate. There are also many cases of women having both stress and urge incontinence. If you want to self-diagnose whether or not you may be suffering from either form of female incontinence, you can visit WebMD’s page for the test.
So what causes female incontinence? Stress incontinence is caused by pelvic floor muscles which have been stretched. This can happen due to childbirth or weight gain. Other conditions such as the drop in estrogen level after menopause as well as chronic cough (such as a smoker’s cough) can aggravate the situation. Urge incontinence, on the other hand, is caused by involuntary contraction of the bladder muscle. This can be caused by a variety of things such as age-related changes, stroke, and kidney or bladder stones.
In the next post, let us look at some things that can help you live with female incontinence.
Photo courtesy of foundphotoslj
Originally posted on September 19, 2008 @ 9:52 am