What are the reasons behind Urinary Incontinence in women ?

Urinary incontinence has three primary causes, child birth, high impact exercise such as running and hormonal changes with aging.

Pregnancy causes the pelvic floor muscles that support internal organs to stretch over nine months and they don’t just snap back. Those weak muscles can no long squeeze the urethra to prevent leakage so if you laugh, sneeze or cough you may leak. It will get worse over time if you don’t strengthen those muscles. This is referred to as stress incontinence.

Running, jumping rope or other impact exercises cause the internal organs to stretch those same muscles over time. Strengthening those muscles will solve that issue.

Is it common for women to have incontinence with age ?

Fifty percent of women over the age of 50 deal with URGE incontinence, that certain urge to go to the bathroom right away. This is also a muscle issue but a different muscle. The detrusor muscle surrounds the bladder and squeezes the bladder causing it to empty. In some women and men that muscle loses sync with the brain and decides to squeeze on its on without warning.

Keep in mind that incontinence means there is no control of the muscles that allow our bladder muscles to relax and let-down for the emptying of our urinary bladders. A person does not “cause” this. One cannot will their bladder muscles to all of a sudden not work. Physical conditions and medications can cause it.