While most of us have heard at one time or another that incontinence is something that simply happens as you get older and go through the different stages of life, the relationship between age, experience, and incontinence is more complicated than that.

The first thing we should all understand is that incontinence is not inevitable, and it’s not something you should simply accept because you’ve given birth, gone through menopause, or reached your golden years.

However, we also know that some of these events can all be contributing factors where incontinence is concerned. For example, in the same way that the lens in your eye can lose its ability to focus on close-up objects as you get older, the muscles in your pelvic floor that contribute to bladder control can weaken as time goes on. While there isn’t always much you can do to improve your changing eyesight on your own, there are things that you can do at any age to help prevent incontinence, control your symptoms, and live a fuller life.

The following sections will show what you can do to prevent bladder leaks, and also introduce you to some of the primary life stages that are often associated with incontinence.