Women’s Incontinence

Urinary incontinence affects more than 13 million Americans, 85 percent of whom are women. It is more common than most chronic conditions, affecting 25 percent of reproductive-aged women and 50 percent of postmenopausal women.

A number of factors may contribute to incontinence, including:

• Childbirth, when tissues, muscles and nerves supporting the urethra may be damaged
• Obesity
• Hysterectomy, which increases the risk of incontinence by 30 to 40 percent
• Recurrent urinary tract infections
• Illness such as diabetes, lung disease or stroke

The most common types of incontinence are stress incontinence, urge incontinence (often called overactive bladder) or a combination of the two, called mixed incontinence.

Incontinence is not a normal part of the aging process, and there are a variety of treatment options available.