HJBR May/Jun 2026

URINARY INCONTINENCE 26 MAY / JUN 2026 I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE   study reported that women with inconti- nence are three times more likely to suf- fer from depression. Many women refrain from participating in social activities out of embarrassment, concern for odors, or fear of having an accident. Incontinence can interfere with employee productivity and result in missed workdays, thus creating an additional burden. In the elderly population, incontinence can result in increased fall risk due to individuals rushing to the toilet to avoid an accident. All these issues translate into a reduced quality of life and a cycle that can be hard to disrupt. Not All Incontinence Is the Same When talking about urinary inconti- nence, it is important to understand that there are various types of incontinence. The most prevalent type is stress urinary incontinence (SUI). SUI can be defined as the involuntary loss of small amounts of urine that occurs with an increase in intra- abdominal pressure. As intra-abdominal pressure rises, such as with a sneeze or a lift, the pelvic floor muscles supporting the urethra must maintain enough pressure to support the bladder and keep the urethra closed. Due to weakness that occurs from childbirth or aging and hormonal changes as well as increased pressure from obesity, the pelvic floor muscles are often not able to stand up to this increase in pressure. As a result, urine can escape from the urethra resulting in leakage. Another type of incontinence is urgency urinary incontinence (UUI), which is defined as involuntary leakage of urine that occurs with or immediately following a strong urge to urinate. The exact cause of UUI can be hard to identify — some individuals expe- rience urgency with triggers, such as the sound of running water or pulling into their driveway — but it is associated with overac- tivity of the detrusor muscle lining the blad- der. When the muscle contracts, it results in the bladder emptying its contents. UUI typi- cally results in the loss of larger amounts of urine than is experienced with SUI. It is not uncommon for individuals to have both stress and urgency incontinence, a condition commonly referred to as mixed urinary incontinence. UUI is often described as having an over- active bladder but incontinence and overac- tive bladder are not the same thing. While some people with an overactive bladder do have incontinence, many do not expe- rience it. People with overactive bladder have strong urges to urinate that result in fre- quent trips to the bathroom. On average, most people urinate approximately seven times during a typical day, or once every two to three hours. Individuals with frequency issues may feel the need to urinate every one to two hours although the bladder is never actually full. Overactive bladder may also be accompanied by nocturia, which is defined as the need to wake up more than once per I cannot count the number of times I have heard a woman casually mention that they just “peed a little” when they sneezed or laughed. They then move on to the next task at hand as if nothing happened. Urinary incontinence is defined as the involuntary loss of urine — any amount of urine. Many women downplay this issue because they assume it is a normal part of aging or child- birth. I often find myself telling patients that just because something is common does not mean it is normal. This statement is espe- cially true when talking about incontinence. The Data on Incontinence The prevalence of urinary incontinence has steadily increased in the last decade, likely due to increased awareness and reporting, but it may also be linked to ris- ing rates of obesity and health conditions such as diabetes. While men can experience incontinence, it disproportionately affects women with rates ranging from 25% to 40% and some studies reporting rates as high as 70%. For this article, we’ll be talking about incontinence in women. There are several established risk factors that contribute to the development of urinary incontinence. These include obesity, pregnancy, higher number of vaginal deliveries, strength, and hormone changes associated with aging or menopause. The high number of individuals living with urinary incontinence has made this a multibillion-dollar industry with direct costs including incontinence products, pharmaceutical management, and other surgical and non-surgical interventions. More Than Just an Economic Burden Living with urinary incontinence creates more than just a financial burden. Studies have shown that women living with incon- tinence experience higher rates of depres- sion, anxiety, and social withdrawal. One “Some of the barriers to discussing incontinence include embarrassment about broaching such a personal and sensitive topic; lack of awareness of how common incontinence is; and lack of knowledge about incontinence symptoms and available treatments.”