Understanding Urinary Incontinence Types

There are a few different types of urinary incontinence, split into groups by cause and effect.

Urge urinary incontinence

The sudden and strong urge to urinate, caused by a bladder spasm, is called urge urinary incontinence. This spasm can cause leaking of urine, either a lot or a little. Urination can become uncontrollable, you may need to urinate quite often, and often this urge is sudden.

The cause of the spasm may be a fright, but it can be caused by infections or other health conditions that alter the messages your bladder muscles get.

Stress urinary incontinence

When you cough, laugh or lift something heavy, a little bit of urine may escape from your bladder.

This is called ‘stress’ urinary incontinence because the leaking of urine requires some form of stress or pressure applied to the bladder before urine will leak.