Mixed Incontinence Causes And Treatments
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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:
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After an urge to urinate
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When you experience a sudden urge to urinate
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While you sleep
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After drinking a small amount of water
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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:
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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.
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