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Conditions

Urinary Incontinence

Filling the bladder

Urinary incontinence is passing urine when you do not mean to because of partial or total loss of control of the bladder. It is estimated that 3-6 million people in the UK have some degree of incontinence, which becomes more common with age, but does not only affect older people. It’s twice as common in women as men and is more common in women after giving birth. Incontinence means that either the muscles, or the nerve supply, are not working properly to control your bladder. The two main types of urinary incontinence are: stress incontinence (a small amount of urine leaks out during physical activity), and urge incontinence (the bladder empties completely). However, there are a number of treatments available. Pelvic floor exercises (or Kegel exercises) can be performed to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, or patients can be referred for electric stimulation of the pelvic floor muscles to increase their strength. There are also a variety of surgical procedures available.

If you’re suffering from continence problems then you can watch a special webchat with Mr Andrew Clarke on Thursday 10th December at 2pm (GMT). Go to www.webchats.tv to submit your questions ahead of the live chat.

What the Men in White Coats Say

Comments and Questions

The EB doctors have been looking at your comments and have answered some of the common questions below. Remember that it is always best to check with a health professional if you have any concerns about your health.

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Hi, im 16 years old and i have been having problems with (what i think to be peeing during sex). There is allot of it and it wets the sheets. I dont feel like i need to go to the toilet allot before sex and afterwards I can still go for a pee straight away, so its not like i urinated loads.It happens most of the way through sex, and mainly at the end( orgasm ). Sometimes i do it loads, others not at all and sometimes only abit. This problem has only just started happening, ive recently gone on the pill, if that could have started this, should i stop? I sometimes pee allitle bit during vigorous exercise, and this has only started happening recently aswell. Ive looked it up on the internet and it says that it could be peeing, or female egactulation. Its smells slighlty like urine and isnt clear. Please help me with this embarasing problem.





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i am 40 yrs old , i have 2 problems i am asking about , the 1st is incontinence. when doing everyday activities such as , walking , coughing , sneezing , etc i can wee from a little to a lot depending on how much i have drank . i have had 3 children, and did do pelvic floor exercises but had made no difference . is it too late to do anything ? my 2nd problem bladder control , I have never been able to hold my wee , when i need to go i need to go, if i have 1 mug of tea i can go for a wee between 5 and 8 times . i have tried to hold on but this either results in my wetting myself of giving myself stomach ache . Is this normal ?





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i had radio therapy for prostrate cancer about four years ago,then about four months ago had a turps,since then,i dribble quite a lot,also pass blood in my urine.





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i have suffered with warter problems for o long time now years infact. i am under the hospital and have varoius tests and last october was give botox injections. they caused me not to be able to wee then having to go backto the hospital to be drained till i learned to use a catherter. i now have to usr a catherter 2/3 times a day. i am also still weeing as much as i was before i has the injections. i have a lot of back pain can this be caused through having to use catheres or is it an infection. is there any other things i could try as the hospital done seem to know what to do for me.





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i am a 43 year old woman which is i think is not old ,so i would like the docs to walk in my shoes for a day, i have to go to the toilet straight away when the urge is there also i cant control my wetting at night i would have only 1 till 2 nights dry out of 7 u walk in my shoes for one day u would get something done my doc is giving me pill after pill nothing i go to an incontinence clinic with no joy please please help ..... i have separated from my husband for a year cause i am so embarrassed. help me please xxx





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I am 59 yrs old - have had problems with needing to pee frequently day and night over last 20 yrs or so. Always been put down to giving birth when seen gynae consults or continence advisors. It has got steadily worse over the last few years. Need to leap out of cars into laybyes on journeys of up to an hour, I know where every loo is in local vicinity - when 1 gotta go I gotta go NOW. Have wet myself on numerous occassions. Have had oxybutinin, tolterodine, desmopressin none of which help much. Would love a nights sleep bad night is on the hour every hour, good night I only have to get up twice! Was diagnosed with mild MS two years ago and I think my bladder problems have been linked to this for last 20 years. Also have bowel probs (get constipated easily but try to take lots water and movicol daily)- was diagnosed after episode of tinnitis and deafness and balance problems. Would sacral neuromodulation be an answer? Am getting really stressed now - had to cancel trip to Mauritius to my niece's wedding because I couldn't face the thought of a long haul flight or coach trips etc round the island. Am totally fed up with life being totally ruled by my bladder.





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like any other young child yes i did wet my self but im 14 now and im too ashamed to tell my mum and dad that i still do . I go to the toiltet and when i laugh alot with my friends i sometimes end up having a leakedge . I use to do it in year six and my family think ive grown out of it . But when i go to a friends sleepover somtimes im scared ill wet my self because ill go toilet and just randomly il wet my self under my sleeping bag . Im too embarrassed to tell anyone and i know i might just be being stupied but is there anything you can do or is there somthing wrong with me.





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I am a mother of a daughter, now aged 10 who regularly wets at night. I know that this should stop at sometime but have read that it can continue indefinately. The doctor has prescribed a pill called desmopressin that she takes at night and these work very well and give her a good nights sleep and avoid any embarrassment. I think you should talk to you parents, I am sure they would want to support you. If you really don't want to, maybe you could talk to your doctor. Just remember, you can't help this happening your body just isn't sending your brain the signals to wake when you need 'to go'.

I am a 14 year old female and for as long as i can remember i seem to leak urine. I'm too embaressed to talk to a doctor or my parents. I usually leak enough to cover the bottom of my knickers which isn't much but it doesn't feel nice and i secretly dry them out before putting them in the wash so my mum doesn't notice. How can i stop this? xx





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I'm 21 years old and 1 year ago I had an abortion and ever since I cannot seem to hold my wee. The second I need to go I cannot hold it at all I need to go then. I have been on 2 sets of antibiotics and been back and forward from the doctor but no answer. It also really hurts to have sex in my lower stomach area, and every time I have sex I need to go wee about 2 times in between. At first I thought it was cistitis but I've had treatment for it but it still hasn't helped!! Please help!!





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I am 19 years old and have had serious incontinence both dy and nigh since I was born - The worst thing about it is that there is nothing the hospital can do for me (well at least thats what they have said) I have been on every medication nder the sun, and have had god knows how many embarrasing investigations performed and am sick of it - they know its not urge or stress incontinence, they know its nothing to do with my bladder at all, and have had MRI scans showing that theres nothing wrong with the nerve pathways - Please, someone, anyone, please please help me, even if its just a temporary solution, nothing could make this worse - Please, I dont know how much longer I can cope





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It looks like no one else has asked this question, so please fill in the rest of your details below.





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Content supplied by NHS Choices

Urinary incontinence is the unintentional passing of urine. It is a very common problem that is thought to affect about three million people in the UK. Read More »

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