Incontinence is a condition characterized by accidental leakage of urine. Because of the anatomy of the female body and physical changes associated with childbirth, women who suffer from incontinence outnumber men as much as five to one. Although it is more common in older women, people of any age can have problems with incontinence—in fact, some 10 million people in the United States are affected.

Types of incontinence include the following.

• Transient incontinence. This type of incontinence is caused by factors outside the urinary tract, such as the inability to move yourself into the bathroom or sedatives that keep you from realizing you need to go.
• Urge incontinence. People with this type of incontinence can’t resist the urge to urinate until they reach a bathroom, resulting in an accident.
• Stress incontinence. Stress incontinence is a leakage of urine that occurs when you laugh, sneeze or perform a strenuous physical activity such as playing sports or lifting something heavy. The stressful event causes an increase in pressure outside the bladder, resulting in leakage.
• Overflow incontinence. This type of incontinence occurs when the bladder is filled to overflowing but can’t contract well enough to expel all the urine, which can result in an accident.

Factors that can cause or contribute to incontinence include

• Certain diseases or conditions, including Parkinson’s disease, diabetes or stroke
• Weakening of the pelvic muscles caused by childbirth
• Certain urinary or kidney diseases
• Lack of estrogen after menopause, which can cause irritation to the urethra, the tube you expel urine through
• Emotional stress
• Smoking, which irritates the surface of the bladder and can also trigger coughing, a common cause of stress incontinence
• Any medical condition that makes it hard for you to physically get to the bathroom by yourself

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