Before feeling an absolute need to urinate, people usually feel a lesser urge to go to the toilet. However, not everyone experiences this, as some feel an immediate need to urinate without warning, something that often leads to "saving" urine just before going to the toilet.
If this sounds familiar, it could be due to a fairly common medical condition called urge incontinence.
What is urge incontinence?
The NHS explains that urge incontinence is a type of urinary incontinence, or the involuntary loss of urine. Urge incontinence occurs when urine leaks as soon as you feel a sudden and strong need to urinate, or shortly afterwards.
“You may feel an immediate and intense need to urinate, followed by involuntary loss of urine. You may need to urinate frequently, including at night,” explains the Mayo Clinic.
In addition to urge incontinence, there are several other types of urinary incontinence, including:
Stress incontinence – when urine leaks when you sneeze or laugh.
Overflow incontinence (chronic urinary retention) – when you cannot completely empty your bladder, which causes frequent leakage.
Total incontinence – when the bladder cannot hold urine at all, causing constant leakage.
About 40% of women and 30% of men experience urge incontinence at some point in their lives.
Symptoms of urge incontinence
Experts explain that this condition is characterized by an immediate and very intense need to urinate, which cannot be postponed.
There are often only a few seconds between the need to urinate and the urine flowing. The need to urinate can be triggered by a sudden change in position, or even the sound of running water.
It is also possible to leak urine during sex, especially during orgasm.
The NHS points out that this type of incontinence often occurs as part of a group of symptoms called overactive bladder syndrome, when the bladder muscles are more active than usual.
The Cleveland Clinic warns that urge incontinence can also affect mental health:
“Some people with severe urge incontinence may be afraid to go out in public. They may worry about being too far from a toilet or not knowing where the nearest toilet is when they feel the need to urinate. These worries can increase the risk of stress, anxiety and depression.”
When should you go to the doctor?
Although discussing incontinence can be embarrassing, experts recommend seeking medical advice if this condition is frequent or is affecting your quality of life, as urinary incontinence can:
- Makes you limit social activities
- Decreases quality of life
- Makes elderly people risk falling while running to the toilet
- Indicates a more serious health problem
Treatments for urge incontinence
Treatments can help relieve symptoms, but depend on their severity. These may include:
- Pelvic muscle physical therapy, such as Kegel exercises and/or pelvic muscle relaxation
- Bladder training
- Lifestyle changes
Sources: NHS, Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic
