Urinary incontinence becomes more common as people get older. It is an embarrassing problem for as many as one in three Americans age 60 or older. The condition is at least twice as common among women as men. The most common kind of urinary incontinence in women is stress incontinence, in which urine leaks during lifting, exercise, coughing, sneezing, or laughing. It is caused by relaxed pelvic muscles that may have been stretched or torn during child-bearing.
Urge incontinence is an inability to hold the urine once the urge to urinate occurs.
You are unable to get to the bathroom in time. It often occurs with Parkinson's disease, stroke, or multiple sclerosis. It can occur in healthy people, too. Incontinence may be caused or made worse by a simple underlying problem that can be corrected. Your health care provider will take a careful history and examine you to see if the incontinence is caused by an underlying condition that can be corrected.