Causes

There are many possible causes of urinary incontinence. These include infection, damage to organs, and muscular disorders.

Urinary Tract Infection
Urinary incontinence may occur because of an infection of the urinary tract. Often such an infec-tion occurs along with pain, frequency, and blood in the urine. Infections of the bladder (cystitis) and of the urethra (urethritis) are common in women.

Pelvic Support Problems
Pelvic support problems occur when the tissues that support the pelvic organs are stretched and damaged. This allows the organs that they support to sag out of place. If the tissues that support the urethra, bladder, uterus, and rectum are weakened, these organs may drop. This may lead to urinary incontinence or difficulty passing urine. Two types of pelvic support problems are the cystocele and the cystourethroc. When the bladder drops from its normal place into the vagina, it is called a cystocele. The place where the bladder joins the urethra is called the bladder neck. When tissues that support the bladder neck are damaged, it may drop and push against the vaginal wall. A dropped bladder neck is called a cys-tourethrocele. The main causes of pelvic support problems are childbirth and aging. As the baby passes through the vagina during childbirth, the vaginal wall and ligaments may be damaged. They may become weak. In later years, when a woman goes through menopause, the loss of the female hormone estro-gen may make these problems worse.

Urinary Tract Abnormalities - Fistulas are abnormal openings between the urinary tract (urethra, bladder, or ureters) and the vagina. These openings can allow urine to leak out through the vagina. Fistulas may result from:

  • Pelvic surgery
  • Childbirth
  • Radiation treatment
  • Advanced cancer of the pelvis

About Urinary Incontinence

Types of Incontinence

Symptoms

Diagnosis

Treatment
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Last update August 2006

© 2006 B. Kaye Kashanchi, M.D. & Kaliope Unlimited All rights reserved. These pages designed, developed and maintained by Kaliope Unlimited.

B. Kaye Kashanchi, M.D., Obstetrics, Gynecology, fertility and Infertility Board Certified, Clinical Professor USC, Complete Health Care for Today's Women
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