Being incontinent of urine or stool refers to a lack of control over your bladder or anal sphincter muscles, respectively. According to the Mayo Clinic, urinary incontinence is an embarrassing condition where you can leak urine spontaneously. Fecal incontinence refers to unexpected leakage of stool from your rectum. You can take medications, train your muscles or have surgery to treat urinary and fecal incontinence.
Stress Incontinence
Stress incontinence refers to urinary leakage when you sneeze, laugh, cough or laugh. These actions apply pressure to your bladder and cause urine leakage. Weakening of the bladder and urethral muscles, benign prostatic hyperplasia (enlarged prostate) in men, decreased estrogen in females and nerve damage to the bladder are other causes of stress incontinence.
Urge Incontinence
The National Institute on Aging states that you may have the urge to urinate when you have urge incontinence. This is also known as an overactive bladder. Diabetes, multiple sclerosis, stroke and Alzheimer's disease make people prone to urge incontinence. The Mayo Clinic states that this type of incontinence is most common in the elderly.
Overflow Incontinence
Overflow incontinence refers to the inability to completely empty the bladder. This conditions makes it necessary to go to the bathroom many times to empty the bladder. Weak bladder muscles, kidney stones and tumors are just some causes of overflow incontinence.
Functional Incontinence
Functional incontinence refers to a type of urinary incontinence that occurs because the individual can't reach the bathroom in time, according to the National Institute on Aging. This usually occurs in the elderly.
Other Types of Urinary Incontinence
Mixed, temporary and gross total incontinence are other types of urinary incontinence. Mixed urinary incontinence is a combination of stress and urinary incontinence. Constipation, urinary tract infections and some medications, such as diuretics, can lead to temporary urinary incontinence. Gross total incontinence refers to constant urine leakage or frequently leaking large amounts of urine.
Fecal Incontinence
Fecal incontinence can occur because the individual cannot reach the bathroom in time, according to the Mayo Clinic. In some instances, it may not be able to control bowel movements. Symptoms can vary from minor soiling to complete complete fecal incontinence, states the Mayo Clinic.
