Mixed Incontinence Causes And Treatments
JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER
Receive custom tools to help you manage your condition and get the latest in bladder and bowel health from NAFC!
Mixed Incontinence
Mixed incontinence is very common and occurs when symptoms of both stress and urgency types of incontinence are present. Often, symptoms of one type of incontinence may be more severe than the other.
For example, you may have a weak pelvic floor due to childbirth, creating stress urinary incontinence. Sometimes that causes leakage when one laughs or sneezes. When this incontinence is combined with an Overactive Bladder, the best treatment usually addresses the more serious condition. In this case, the weak pelvic floor would be a great place to start treatment.
You might also have mixed incontinence if there is urine leakage:
-
After an urge to urinate
-
When you experience a sudden urge to urinate
-
While you sleep
-
After drinking a small amount of water
-
Touching water or hearing it run
Causes
As you might expect, mixed incontinence also shares the causes of both Stress Urinary Incontinence and Urgency Urinary Incontinence.
Stress Urinary Incontinence often results when childbirth, pregnancy, sneezing, coughing, or other factors have compromised the muscles that support and control the bladder. This, in turn, causes leakage.
Involuntary actions of the bladder muscles creates Urgency Urinary Incontinence. Damage to nerves of the bladder, the nervous system, or muscles themselves are usually the key causes. This damage may be caused by serious health issues including diabetes, MS, Parkinson’s disease, strokes, thyroid problems, and other surgery-related injuries.
Treatment Options
You can find more information on causes and treatments for mixed incontinence on the following pages:
-
Urgency Urinary Incontinence, also known as Overactive Bladder (OAB)
Your physician will be better able to work with you on the appropriate treatment path based on your diagnosis. To help get a better understanding of what is at the root of your specific incontinence, your doctor may have you keep a diary for a day or more as a record of when you urinate, intentionally or on accident. Your doctor may ask you to record the specific time as well as the amount of urine to provide additional data.
Related Articles
Ask The Expert: Do You Have Any Tips For Helping My Elderly Parents With Clothing & Absorbents Changes?
Q: My elderly parent(s) experience incontinence, and for the first time, I am being asked to help with their clothing and absorbent product changes. I feel like I’m in over my head. Do you have any tips or suggestions?
A: When it comes to helping your aging loved ones with managing incontinence changes and cleanups, the conversations around these intimate activities can be awkward for both sides. It can even change the dynamics of your relationship. Here are a few tips to make it easier on you and on them.
Caring For Caregivers
One of the things that doesn’t get enough attention when it comes to living with incontinence is caregiving. Those who assist their loved ones managing their symptoms – the emotional ones as well as the physical ones – often don’t get the support they need, and that can take a tremendous toll on their own wellbeing. Today’s guest is Lori Mika, a certified dementia practitioner and a passionate caregiver herself as well as an account executive for Tranquility Incontinence Products, who shares with us about the things you can do to flourish in the caregiving role.
The hidden side of incontinence: Mental health challenges
When most people think about the symptoms of incontinence, they think about physical things like urgency and leaks. But what’s every bit as real – and every bit as troubling – are the mental health symptoms that so many patients live with. Incontinence is significantly associated with depression, anxiety and other mental issues, and addressing them can be a particular challenge.
Today’s guest is Tina Harris from Tenderheart Health Outcomes, here to share with us important information that the team at Tenderheart has learned about mental health from their research and patient surveys. She discusses what patients and caregivers commonly experience and offers strategies to help lighten the mental burden.
Ask The Expert: Do You Have Any Tips For Helping My Elderly Parents With Clothing & Absorbents Changes?
Q: My elderly parent(s) experience incontinence, and for the first time, I am being asked to help with their clothing and absorbent product changes. I feel like I’m in over my head. Do you have any tips or suggestions?
A: When it comes to helping your aging loved ones with managing incontinence changes and cleanups, the conversations around these intimate activities can be awkward for both sides. It can even change the dynamics of your relationship. Here are a few tips to make it easier on you and on them.
