What are the different types of incontinence?

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There are several different types of incontinence. These types have different causes and characteristics. Knowing the type of incontinence is often an important part of the diagnosis and treatment plan for incontinence.

The types of incontinence include:

• Urge incontinence: This type of incontinence is characterized by an intense need to urinate right away. Often, this happens too quickly for you to make it to a toilet and you end up leaking urine.

• Stress incontinence: When you leak urine during activities, this is often stress incontinence. In this type of incontinence, your pelvic floor muscles are weak and no longer support your pelvic organs as they should.

• Overflow incontinence: If your bladder doesn’t empty completely each time you urinate, you could have overflow incontinence.

• Mixed incontinence: This type of incontinence is a combination of several problems that all lead to leakage issues. When you have mixed incontinence, you might be dealing with stress incontinence and an overactive bladder.