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incontinence: an overview

director: Diane K. Newman, RNC, MSN, CRNP, FAAN

• Do you leak urine when you cough, sneeze, laugh or exercise?
• Do you leak urine on the way to the bathroom?
• Do you have intense and sudden bladder urges you cannot control?
• Do you find yourself going to the bathroom often, more than 8 times in a day?
• Do you wake up more than two times at night to go to the bathroom?
• Do you need to know the locations of bathrooms when you travel or go shopping?
• Are you afraid that you will leak urine during sex?

If you answered yes to any of these questions then you have a problem with your bladder called urinary incontinence.

Urinary Incontinence (UI) is the unwanted leakage or loss of urine when you don't want to; a very common problem in the United States estimated to afflict 15 million Americans. More than two thirds of the persons with UI are women. The total annual cost of providing care for persons with UI is estimated to be $28 billion.

The inability to control urine is one of the most unpleasant and distressing problems from which a person can suffer, often causing isolation, depression and physiological problems. In addition to the patient, UI is also a burden for family caregivers and the community, and the major reason aging parents are put into nursing homes.

Learn more about Incontinence

Consumers Causes Treatments Managing Children and Bedwetting Male Incontinence Overactive Bladder Diabetes and Incontinence Pelvic Pain and Vulvodynia Resources Ask a Nurse SEPHIAsChoice

Nurses and other Medical Professionals ContinenceNurse.net is a website specifically for continence nurses and other pelvic health professionals. Much of the content is provided by Diane Newman, RNC, MSN, CRNP, FAAN and is designed to help busy pelvic health professionals solve everyday problems. There are sections about long term care, male and female pelvic health issues as well as continuing education programs, downloadable worksheets, and such community forums as Practice Pearls where nurses can describe difficult cases and ask other nurses for help. Registration is required for access to most of the website. Please visit.

NEW! PDF (799 KB) ZIP (785 KB)

Poster: Report of a Survey of Women with Bladder Control Disorders by Diane K. Newman, RNC, MSN, CRNP, FAAN. Large Poster (43" X 28") suitable for printing by commercial printer. This file can be saved onto a floppy disk (799 KB) and taken to a printer.

Text: Read the Full Report

Last Updated: July 2007 

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