It is especially prevalent in the elderly population. It impacts as many as one in three Americans age 60 or older and is twice as common among women as men. In fact, it can be so embarrassing, that some people do not even consult their healthcare providers for relief. The most common kind of urinary incontinence in women is stress incontinence, in which urine leaks during lifting, exercise, coughing, sneezing, or laughing. Pelvic muscles that are weakened, stretched, or torn during childbirth can cause this.
Overflow incontinence is common in older men.
In this case, an enlarged prostate gland constricts the urethra, the tube through which urine drains from the bladder. This causes small amounts of urine to leak from a bladder that never completely empties. Urge incontinence, or overactive bladder, is the inability to hold urine once the urge to urinate occurs. This often occurs with Parkinson s disease, stroke, or multiple sclerosis, but can occur in healthy people, too. These muscles can also be tightened by surgery.