Don’t Let Your Bladder Control You

Are you a woman who fears losing control of your bladder and find yourself unable to enjoy day-to-day activities? If so, you’re not alone.

Hi, I’m Dr. Griffin Rodgers, Director of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases at NIH.

Many people experience urinary incontinence, or loss of bladder control. Women experience urinary incontinence twice as often as men. One reason is due to stress on the bladder and pelvic floor muscles from pregnancy and childbirth.

Some women may lose a few drops of urine while running or coughing, called stress incontinence, and others may feel a sudden strong urge to urinate and leak urine before they get to the bathroom, called urgency incontinence. In fact, many women experience both types, called mixed incontinence.

Talk to your doctor about your symptoms. There are treatments for you.

For more information, follow us @NIDDKgov. This is Dr. Griffin Rodgers.