Health Information
Urinary Incontinence in Women
What Increases Your Risk
Sometimes several things combine to cause urinary incontinence. For example, a woman may have had multiple childbirths, be older, and have a severe cough because of chronic bronchitis or smoking. All of these might contribute to her incontinence problem.
Physical conditions that make urinary incontinence more likely include:
- Pregnancy and vaginal delivery.
- Having had a hysterectomy.
- Obesity or being overweight.
- Older age.
- Reference Bladder stones Opens New Window.
- Structural abnormalities of the urinary tract.
- Blockage of the bladder.
- Chronic Reference bladder infections Opens New Window.
Diseases and conditions that may cause urinary incontinence include:
- Chronic cough due to smoking or bronchitis.
- Reference Pelvic organ prolapse.
- Diabetes.
- Parkinson's disease.
- Alzheimer's disease.
- Multiple sclerosis.
- Bladder cancer.
- Stroke.
- Spinal cord injury.
Medicines and foods that may make urinary incontinence worse include:
- Caffeinated and carbonated drinks, such as coffee, tea, and soda pop.
- Alcohol drinks.
- Prescription medicines that increase urine production (such as diuretics) or relax the bladder (such as anticholinergics and antidepressants).
- Smoking.
| By: | Reference Healthwise Staff | Last Revised: Reference September 11, 2012 |
| Medical Review: | Reference E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine
Reference Avery L. Seifert, MD - Urology |
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