Many things can cause urinary incontinence. Excessive drinking of alcoholic beverages not only stimulates the bladder but acts as a diuretic as well, which causes urgent urination. Drinking a lot of water or carbonated drinks can create an overly full bladder. This in itself is not dangerous; in fact it's good to drink a lot of water, but the result is more-frequent urination. By contrast, when people do not drink enough water their urine becomes concentrated and the resulting salt buildup can irritate the bladder, worsening existing incontinence conditions. Caffeine is also a diuretic that stimulates the bladder into overactivity, and it is an ingredient that is found in coffee, tea, chocolate and most carbonated beverages. Both men and women are susceptable to urinary difficulties due to these situations.
Medications such as those for heart disease, those that control blood pressure, sleeping pills and muscle relaxants are all capable of irritating the bladder and creating incontinence problems. Urinary tract infections often cause the sensation of badly needing to urinate and can lead to small bouts of incontinence. In men, large tumors pressing on the bladder can create a similar problem. Constipation can create pressure on the bladder and irritate the nerves leading to it, causing sensations of needing to relieve the bladder frequently.
Pregnancy causes changes in hormones that affect the body in different ways, plus the increasing weight of the uterus pressing on the bladder causes a squeezing of the bladder sometimes resulting in minor incontinence. Vaginal delivery tends to weaken the muscles in that region, potentially leading to leaking from the bladder and less control, which might be noticed shortly after delivery or not until years have gone by.
When a person gets older sometimes the bladder muscles get weaker and as a result, the bladder's capacity is greatly reduced. This means the person has to urinate more often or leakage can occur. Women who have gone through menopause have lowered estrogen, which causes changes in the linings of the bladder and urethra, which can not only cause incontinence but can also make an existing problem worse in some cases. In the case of women who have had hysterectomies, it is possible for the surgery to damage the pelvic muscles, leading to incontinence. Neurological disorders can weaken the nerves, causing the person to be unable to hold their urine for any length of time. Bladder cancer and kidney stones can contribute to the condition as well by clogging the ureters and making the person feel the need to urinate too often, usually creating overflow symptoms.
