Urinary incontinence is more common in women than in men. It affects 10-25% of women under age 65 and 15-30% of women older than 60 who do not live in nursing homes. Incontinence is even more common in nursing home residents-more than half may be affected. Incontinence does not always mean that a woman leaks often. For an active woman or a woman who loses a large amount of urine each time, even one time a week or less may be too much. Women sometimes do not tell their doctor about their symptoms of urinary incontinence. Less than one half of women seek medical care. Instead, they rely on absorbent pads or changes in lifestyle to deal with this condition. They may feel ashamed. They may even avoid certain social or work events. Some women have the false belief that urinary incontinence is a normal part of aging and that nothing can be done to correct it. Urinary inconti-nence often can be treated. Tell your doctor if you have any leakage of urine. Proper diagnosis and treatment may correct your problem and ease your symptoms.

Normal Voiding
The urinary tract is made up of:

• Kidneys, which produce urine
• Bladder
• Tubes called ureters that carry urine to the bladder
• Urethra

Normal urination (also called voiding) occurs when a woman is able to empty her bladder when she has a natural desire to do so. In normal void-ing, the muscles around the urethra relax, the blad-der contracts, and urine flows from the bladder to the urethra and out of the body. When the bladder is almost empty, the muscles around the urethra contract, the bladder relaxes, and the stream of urine stops flowing.