During urination, muscles in the wall of the bladder contract, forcing urine out of the bladder and into the urethra. At the same time, sphincter muscles surrounding the urethra relax, letting urine pass out of the body. Incontinence will occur if your bladder muscles suddenly contract or muscles surrounding the urethra suddenly relax. A number of things can cause incontinence. Many causes are temporary, including urinary tract infections, vaginal infection or irritation, constipation, or side effects of medication.
Women experience incontinence two times more often than men.
If you are experiencing incontinence, it's important to see your doctor, especially since it can be caused by another medical problem, such as a bladder infection, that needs to be treated before it gets worse. Incontinence doesn't need to interfere with your quality of life. There are several types of incontinence, including stress incontinence, urge incontinence, overflow incontinence, and functional incontinence. A combination of two or more types is called mixed incontinence. You may leak urine when you get up from a chair or get out of bed, or when you walk or do other exercise.