Incontinence (in-CONT-ti-nunce) is the loss of bladder or bowel control. A broad range of conditions and disorders can cause incontinence, including birth defects, pelvic surgery, injuries to the pelvic region or to the spinal cord, neurological diseases, multiple sclerosis, poliomyelitis, infection, and degenerative changes associated with aging. It can also occur as a result of pregnancy or childbirth. In itself, incontinence is not a disease - it is a symptom.

There are several basic types of urinary incontinence:

1. Urge incontinence, or overactive bladder, is the urgent need to urinate, often with the inability to get to a toilet in time. It occurs when nerve passages along the pathway from the bladder to the brain are damaged. Sudden bladder contractions occur that cannot be consciously controlled.
2. Stress incontinence occurs when pelvic muscles have been damaged, and the bladder leaks during exercise, coughing, sneezing, laughing, or any body movement which puts pressure on the bladder.
3. Mixed incontinence occurs when symptoms of both stress and urge types of incontinence are present, and is very common.
4. Overflow incontinence is the leakage that occurs when the body produces more urine than the bladder can hold.
5. Fecal incontinence is the inability to control the passage or loss of gas, liquid and/or solid stool. This condition can vary from being partial, in which a person loses only a small amount of liquid waste, to complete, in which the entire solid bowel movement cannot be controlled.

Incontinence from surgery is a temporary condition that follows operations such as hysterectomies, caesarean sections, prostatectomies, lower intestinal surgery, or rectal surgery. Incontinence can also occur due to other reversible factors, often outside of the urinary tract, such as restricted mobility.

People who suffer from incontinence may feel their healthcare provider does not understand what they are going through, but it is very important to speak with your doctor if you’re having a problem with incontinence.