Urinary Incontinence: Causes

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Age alone does not cause urinary incontinence. As your body ages, it changes in ways that can reduce how much urine your bladder holds, weaken your stream of urine, and cause you to feel the urge to urinate more often. However, these symptoms of aging do not mean you will eventually have problems with urinary incontinence. Urinary incontinence is often triggered by other diseases or problems that affect your body. They include:

Bladder muscles that are weak or overactive

Blockage from an enlarged prostate gland in men

Thinning of the skin in the vagina or urethra in women, particularly after menopause

Pelvic muscles weakened or stretched by childbirth Conditions that affect bladder control, like multiple sclerosis, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease Urinary tract infections Obesity, which places more weight and pressure on the bladder and the muscles controlling the bladder

Chronic cough or asthma, which over time weakens the muscles supporting the bladder and urethra

Last Updated: 03/12/2009
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