This informative content is brought to you by Poise, a brand under Kimberly-Clark. Other brands by Kimberly-Clark include Depend and Thinx for All Leaks.
Reviewed medically by Lauri Romanzi MD, MScPH, FACOG, FURPS
If you’re curious about bladder leakage, you’re not alone. Many women have questions about this common issue. Whether it’s avoiding certain activities or dealing with embarrassing moments, we’re here to provide answers.
Let’s explore the facts about bladder leakage.
How many women/people assigned female at birth does bladder leakage affect?
Bladder leakage affects up to half of all women and people assigned female at birth (AFAB) at some point in their lives. The risk increases with age, with as many as 3 out of 4 women experiencing it after the age of 65.
Bladder leakage can be an early sign of genitourinary syndrome of menopause.
What are the types of bladder leakage?
Bladder leakage, also known as urinary incontinence, comes in different forms:
- Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI): This type is common and typically results from weakened pelvic floor muscles, leading to urine leakage during physical activities like coughing or laughing.
- Urge incontinence: Occurs when the brain signals the bladder to empty when it’s not full, causing a strong urge to urinate.
- Mixed incontinence: Combines stress and urgency incontinence.
- Overflow incontinence: Occurs when the bladder can’t handle the amount of urine produced.
- Functional incontinence: Result of other physical conditions.
At which times in a woman’s life is she most likely to have bladder leakage?
Bladder leakage can occur at any stage of life, but it’s more common in women over 50, pregnant individuals, and those who’ve had vaginal births.
It’s often associated with perimenopause and menopause.
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