Many Australians suffer from bladder or bowel control problems. Some people suffer from both. At least one in 20 Australians regularly experiences leaking or incontinence from the bladder (urinary incontinence) or bowel (faecal incontinence).

Incontinence can affect your lifestyle
Incontinence can have a great impact on your life. It can:

•   Affect how you feel about yourself.
•   Affect your social life.
•   Stop you from getting out and about, and doing the things you enjoy.
•   Affect your health.
•   Be expensive (for example, the cost of continence pads).

Incontinence affects all kinds of people
Incontinence can affect:

•   People of all ages, cultures and backgrounds.
•   More commonly, people in the older age groups.
•   Both men and women, although it is seen more often in younger women than men.

Incontinence is a symptom of a problem
Incontinence is a sign or a symptom of a health problem. It tells you that something is not quite right.

There are different types of urinary incontinence
There are many things that can cause urinary incontinence. As a result, there are different types of incontinence that are managed or treated in different ways. These include:

•   Stress incontinence leakage of small amounts of urine with exertion. Causes include childbirth, being overweight and prostate surgery.
•   Urge incontinence leakage following a sudden urge to urinate. Causes include stroke, enlarged prostate gland and Parkinson’s disease.
•   Overflow incontinence leakage because the bladder does not empty well and overfills. Causes include multiple sclerosis and enlarged prostate gland.
•   Functional incontinence leakage of urine because a person was unable to get to or use the toilet due to a physical disability, a barrier in their environment or because of an intellectual or memory problem. Causes include dementia and arthritis.

There are different bowel problems
Bowel problems have many causes and results, which can include being incontinent. Incontinence of the bowel may include:

•   Diarrhoea - passing loose bowel motions frequently and in a hurry. Causes include infection, and bowel conditions such as Crohn’s Disease and ulcerative colitis.
•   Constipation - passing hard, dry bowel motions, which can be difficult to get out. Causes include not drinking enough fluid, eating a diet low in fibre and lack of exercise.
•   Faecal incontinence - is an uncontrolled loss of a bowel motion. Causes include diarrhoea and constipation. It can also result from a problem in the lower bowel or anus, making it difficult to hold onto a bowel motion. Causes include childbirth and nerve problems such as multiple sclerosis.

Seek help now
If you have incontinence problems, you should seek help. There are many things that can be done to reduce incontinence, or make it easier to manage or live with. It is even possible to cure incontinence in some cases.

Ways to keep your bladder and bowel healthy
There are things you can do to help keep your bladder and bowel healthy.

•   Drink plenty of fluid, at least six to eight cups a day, unless your doctor advises you otherwise.
•   Go to the toilet to pass urine only when you have the urge to go; don’t go ‘just in case’.
•   Take your time on the toilet to make sure you have completely finished; don’t rush yourself.
•   Women should make sure they are properly seated when they use the toilet.
•   Keep your bowels regular by drinking well, eating foods high in fibre and exercising.
•   When you have the urge to use your bowels, don’t delay going to the toilet.
•   Exercise your pelvic floor muscles regularly.

Where to get help

•   Your doctor
•   Your local continence clinic or service
•   Victorian Continence Resource Centre Tel. (03) 9816 8266, Fax (03) 9816 8366, Website: http://www.continencevictoria.org
•   Continence Aids Assistance Scheme website.

Things to remember

•   Incontinence is common.
•   It has many different causes.
•   There are many things that can be done to manage incontinence.
•   In some cases, incontinence can be cured.