A lack of bladder control is known as urinary incontinence. It is an embarrassment for as many as one in three Americans age 60 or older and is twice as common in women as men.
Stress incontinence is the most common kind of urinary incontinence in women.
It is the term used for leakage of urine during exercise, coughing, sneezing, laughing, or lifting. The pelvic floor muscles normally fit snugly around the neck of the bladder. They form a ring of muscle that prevents urine from escaping through the urethra, which is the tube that carries urine from the bladder. However, the pelvic floor muscles can be stretched or torn during childbearing. There may also be further loss of muscle tone after menopause due to a thinning of tissues caused by a lack of estrogen.