FAQs About Bladder Leakage

This educational resource was sponsored by Poise, a brand of Kimberly-Clark. Other Kimberly-Clark brands include Depend and Thinx for All Leaks.

Medically reviewed by Lauri Romanzi MD, MScPH, FACOG, FURPS

When it comes to bladder leakage, we’ve all got questions. Like, does everyone else avoid trampolines and Will Ferrell movies?

Maybe those aren’t your exact same bladder leakage questions, but if you’re one of the 1 in 2 women who experience some sort of involuntary peeing, you probably have at least some questions. And we’re here to answer them.

Let’s get down to the facts about bladder leakage.

How many women/people assigned female at birth does bladder leakage affect?

Bladder leakage — when you involuntarily pee — is a common condition, with as many as half of all women and people assigned female at birth (AFAB) affected by it at some point in their lives.

Those numbers only get higher as we age, with as many as 3 out of 4 women experiencing bladder leakage after the age of 65. In fact, bladder leakage can be one of the first symptoms of genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM), which used to be called vaginal atrophy.

What are the types of bladder leakage?

There are a few different types of bladder leakage, also called urinary incontinence:

Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI): Also called stress incontinence, this is the most common type of bladder leakage. SUI happens when weak pelvic floor muscles are stretched. These weakened muscles cause urine to leak during physical activity that puts pressure on the bladder, such as coughing, laughing and jumping. It could be a few drops or more than a tablespoon. SUI is most common in women over 50 and can get worse with menopause.
Urge incontinence: Also called “urgency” incontinence. Urge incontinence is one of the symptoms of overactive bladder (OAB). OAB affects more than 4 out of 10 women and people AFAB. This condition is often the result of a miscommunication between your brain and your bladder. Your brain tells your bladder it’s time to empty itself when it isn’t full. OAB can also be caused by overactive bladder muscles. In either case, with OAB you have a strong and sudden urge to urinate that cannot be ignored.
Mixed incontinence: When people experience both stress and urgency types of incontinence. This is a common type of bladder leakage in women and people AFAB older than 65.
Overflow incontinence: Sometimes the body produces more urine than the bladder can handle and that causes overflow incontinence. This type of bladder leakage can also be caused by something blocking the flow, or the bladder muscle may not contract/squeeze the way it’s supposed to. With this type of bladder leakage, you may pee just a small amount and/or have a constant drip of urine, which is called dribbling. Overflow incontinence is more common in women after menopause.

Functional incontinence: This type of bladder leakage is the result of another physical condition, such as arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s injury, disabilities or possibly even medication use.

At which times in a woman’s life is she most likely to have bladder leakage?

Women and people AFAB can experience bladder leakage at any stage of their life, but it’s most common in women over 50. Bladder leakage is also common in pregnant people and people who have had a vaginal birth.

Bladder leakage is also often associated with perimenopause and menopause.

Is bladder leakage preventable?

Bladder leakage isn’t always preventable, but there are some things you can do to lower your risk of experiencing it. You should:

Avoid foods that irritate the bladder, including spicy and acidic foods
Strengthen your pelvic floor with pelvic floor exercises
Maintain a healthy weight
Add more fiber to your diet to help prevent constipation, which can be a cause of bladder leakage
Quit smoking if you currently smoke

There are a couple key exercises that can help prevent bladder leakage (you may want to consult a pelvic floor therapist to be sure you’re doing them right). Also, bear in mind that both exercises below require regular practice to be effective.

Kegel exercises, which help tighten certain muscles in your pelvis to strengthen them.
The knack, which involves doing kegels when you cough or sneeze or engage in any other physical activity that could trigger leakage.

How can you manage bladder leakage?

Bladder leakage can be both uncomfortable and embarrassing, but there are ways to make yourself more comfortable. Bladder leakage pads, like Poise pads, or bladder leakage underwear, like Depend or Thinx for All Leaks, can help with wetness and odor control. Pads made specifically for bladder leakage are designed to control odor and wetness from urine unlike period products.

What are the treatments for bladder leakage?

Depending on the type of bladder leakage you have, your healthcare provider may recommend one or more of the following treatments:

Bladder training exercises
Dietary changes
Medication
Botox injections into the lining of your bladder
Urethral bulking, an injection of a thick substance around your urethra to help it hold back urine
Surgery
Electrical stimulation
Urethral insert for temporary use during activities that are likely to cause SUI
A pessary, a silicone ring inserted in your vagina that you wear all day

An important step to finding long-term solutions to bladder leakage is to talk about it with your healthcare provider — something too few women do. Once you open up the dialogue, you can decide, together, on the best course of action for you.