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Continence Symptoms and Treatments - Introduction
Introduction The healthy bladder What can go wrong Stress Urge Mixed
Overflow Night time Prostate Pelvic floor Bowel  

Introduction

Questions to help you find the section you need

  
  • Do you leak when you cough, sneeze, exercise or laugh?
  • You may have stress incontinence. See also pelvic floor.
  • Do you have to hurry to the toilet and don't always maye it in time?
  • Do you have to pass urine more often than you used to?
  • You may have urge incontinence. For men, see also Prostate.
  • Do you have both of the problems above?
  • This may be mixed incontinence.
  • Do you leak urine in your sleep?
  • Does your bladder wake you up more than twice a night?
  • See night-time.
  • Do you feel that you can't empty your bladder completely?
  • Does your urine stream stop and start, and is the flow slower than it used to be?
  • See the section on overflow. For men, see also Prostate
  • Do you have trouble controlling your bowels?
  • See the section on bowels.

 

  

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Updated 15.06.2007

How Common are Bladder and Bowel Problems?

Far more common than you think!

In the United Kingdom, at least 6 million adults cannot control their bladders as they would wish. (And about 500,000 children over the age of 5 have similar problems, especially with bedwetting).

About 500,000 adults have similar trouble with their bowels.

And as many as 1 in 3 of us will have such problems at some time in our adult lives.  

It is NOT just a problem for the elderly:

  • in a group of seven or eight middle aged women, the chances are one will have an experience of loss of bladder control;
  • similarly, in a group of ten or twelve men aged over 65 one will have a problem,
  • as will one in thirty men under retirement age.

And it is NOT an inevitable part of ageing: don’t let anyone (even your GP!) say to you "What can you expect at your age?"

And it is NOT incurable!  Plenty can be done to help you.

Sadly there is a "taboo" on talking about bladder and bowel problems. It makes people reluctant to seek treatment. Some people restrict their lives and live almost like recluses. There is no need for this.

We have to overcome the stigma on talking about incontinence.  After all, what would we think if people were ashamed to mention their arthritis or their migraines?

So - get your problems assessed by your GP or the local NHS continence nurse specialist. There is no need to be embarrassed: they help people with these conditions every day.  And they will be able to help you and probably take a weight off your shoulders.

 

For more information about prevalence, see the item "Making the Case . . ." in the section In Depth.

 

Updated June 2007
   
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