Advice Centre

Do you leak when you laugh, sneeze, cough or exercise?

You may have stress incontinence, also known as bladder weakness.

Who does it affect?

Bladder weakness can affect anyone; Women, Men and Children at any age. It is extremely common and you may be surprised to learn that 1 in 4 women and 1 in 9 men will suffer from some form of bladder weakness at some point in their lives.

Many people with this problem can be helped and in some cases completely cured.

What causes of bladder weakness?

The most common cause of bladder weakness is a weakened pelvic floor muscle, which keeps the urethra closed.

For women, bladder weakness is a common side effect of pregnancy and childbirth caused by hormonal changes and the pressure on the bladder from the womb which weakens the pelvic floor muscles. The hormonal changes which take place during the menopause can also be a contributing factor to bladder weakness but pelvic floor exercises can help with these problems.

For men, there is no single cause for bladder weakness but prostate problems and infections of the urinary tract are often common factors.

People who have been constipated for a long time or have a cough may also be prone to stress incontinence.

Medical conditions can also cause bladder weakness or it can be a side effect of certain medications.

What can I do?

The first thing to do is talk to your doctor or local continence nurse – a professional who specializes in bladder & bowel problems.

For Medical advice call the Bladder & Bowel Specialist Continence Helpline 0845 345 0165 (24hr answer phone)

For details of your local Continence Advisory Service call 01536 533255

More Information

The Bladder & Bowel Foundation have developed a guide to stress incontinence, which can be downloaded below:

Only when I Laugh, Cough or Sneeze! leaflet

Single copies of all the booklets can also be posted out to you and are available to order free of charge, however, there is a charge for bulk orders of these booklets to cover postage costs. For more information, please click on the link below:
http://www.bladderandbowelfoundation.org/support-and-services/library-and-resources/