Urge Incontinence

What is urge incontinence?

Urgency is a symptom where you get a sudden urgent desire to pass urine. You are not able to put off going to the toilet. or when urine leaks before you get to the toilet when you have 'urgency'.

Urgency and urge incontinence are sometimes called an unstable or overactive bladder, or detrusor instability. (Detrusor is the medical name for the bladder muscle.)

If you have urgency or urge incontinence, you also tend to pass urine more often than normal (this is called 'frequency'). Sometimes this is several times during the night as well as many times during the day. Some women also find they leak urine during sex, especially during orgasm.

How common is urge incontinence?

Urge incontinence is the second commonest cause of incontinence. About 3 in 10 cases of incontinence are due to urge incontinence. It can occur at any age, but commonly first starts in early adult life. Women are more commonly affected than men.

What causes urge incontinence?

The cause is not fully understood. The bladder muscle seems to contract (squeeze) too early when the bladder fills. The normal bladder control is reduced. The bladder muscle may give wrong messages to the brain, and the bladder may feel fuller than it actually is. Symptoms may get worse at times of stress.