Bladder Control and Incontinence

The urinary bladder is a muscular pouch in our pelvic cavity which serves to store the urine. The urine travels all the way from the kidneys to the bladder via the tubes called ureters. The two sphincters-internal urethral and external urethral-maintain the urinary continence.¹

Many people are either unable to urinate or their urine leaks out frequently without their own will (urinary incontinence). In this article, you’ll get to know how we’re able to control our bladder and what urinary incontinence is.

How do you control your bladder and urination?

When the bladder is being filled with the urine, both the internal as well as external urethral sphincters are contracted that prevent the urine to get out of the bladder.

The bladder stretches by the urine, which triggers the nervous system to initiate and control the urination process called micturition. When we decide to urinate, we intentionally contract the muscular walls of the bladder and relax the two urethral sphincters allowing urine to flow out.²

What is urinary incontinence?

Urinary incontinence is the loss of bladder and sphincter control casing occasional leakage of urine without your will whenever you cough, sneeze, or have an urge to urinate.³

Although it often occurs as people age, yet it may occur due to derangements in nervous system or other bladder problems.

Types and Causes of Urinary Incontinence

It can be of many types such as:

• Urgency Urinary Incontinence:This condition involves frequent urination along with an association with a sudden urge to urinate. You will feel that you’ll surely leak if you do not use the bathroom right now. This occurs due to abnormal frequent muscular contractions of bladder.
• Stress Urinary Incontinence:This type of urinary leakage occurs due to weakened pelvic floor muscles that are unable to support the bladder. Any kind of stress such as coughing, sneezing, lifting, or even laughing causes the bladder to leak.

Pelvic floor muscles can get damaged during childbirth, surgery, or due to an underlying neurological condition.⁴

What are possible treatment options available for urinary incontinence?

• Kegel Exercises:These are the best to help strengthen weakened pelvic floor muscles in stress urinary incontinence.
• Medicinal Treatment:Several drugs are also available that prevent urinary leakage.⁵
• Surgical Treatment:Surgery might help in repairing the damaged pelvic tissues due to trauma.

Outlook

You might be suffering from urinary incontinence and if so, it is advised to consult your doctor about different treatments. You can also perform Kegel exercises to make your pelvic muscles strong.