Urinary Incontinence
Urinary incontinence is the loss of urine control – that is, the inability to hold your urine until you can reach a restroom.
More than 12 million people in the United States experience incontinence. Those who suffer are male and female, young and
old. (Women over age 50 are the most likely to develop urinary incontinence.) In some cases, urinary incontinence is a temporary
condition that results from an underlying medical condition. It can range from the discomfort of slight losses of urine to
severe, frequent wetting.
Although it is particularly common in older people, incontinence is not an inevitable result of aging. This condition is often
caused by specific changes in body function that may result from diseases, use of medications and/or the onset of an illness.
Sometimes, it is the first and only symptom of a urinary tract infection.
Treatment at Jefferson
Jefferson maintains a state-of-the-art urodynamics lab, where our physicians and nurses use the latest tools to diagnose incontinence
and other bladder disorders. We offer a full complement of established treatments, including pelvic floor exercises and reconstructive
surgery, as well as access to emerging treatment options through clinical trials. In addition, Jefferson urologists and nurses
collaborate with cross-disciplinary consultants with expertise in pelvic floor dysfunction (including bowel and urinary incontinence,
pelvic pain and displaced organs] and related neurological diseases, such as multiple sclerosis and stroke. (For more information,
visit the Spinal Cord Injury Center.) Our urologists are leaders in sacral neuromodulation that uses implanted electrodes to correct some forms of incontinence.
Additional information about urinary incontinence
