The most common type of incontinence can depend greatly on gender as women can be more inclined to experience certain types after events such as pregnancy, childbirth and menopause. Urinary incontinence affects twice as many women as men and although incontinence can affect anyone at any age, more than 4 in 10 women 65 years and older have urinary incontinence. ¹ The most common types of urinary incontinence for women are urge and stress incontinence.

Urge incontinence is more common for men which can be due to the disrupted nerve signals between the brain and the bladder. This can be the case due to either an enlarged prostate or the aftermath of prostate surgery.

What is Urge Incontinence?

Urge incontinence or overactive bladder syndrome deals with the urge to urinate even when the bladder isn’t full, this can lead to involuntary loss of urine before reaching the toilet. This type is common in both men and women and can occur more as you age. Symptoms may include waking up multiple times in the middle of the night with the urge to urinate, having to urinate more than eight times a day and feeling as if you won’t make it to the toilet when you need to urinate. Urge incontinence can be caused by certain health conditions such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s and the occurrence of an enlarged prostate gland. Urinary tract infections may also cause temporary urge incontinence, but this often clears up as the infection goes away.

What is Stress Incontinence?

Stress incontinence can occur when activities are undertaken that add pressure onto the bladder causing urine leakage. It can happen due to a range of physical activities including laughing, coughing, sneezing, or walking. Stress incontinence mainly affects women due to the impacts of pregnancy and childbirth, but men can also develop it after having prostate surgery. After childbirth many women find that their pelvic floor muscles have become weakened, and as they undertake certain activities, they are more inclined to experience stress incontinence as pressure is put on the bladder causing leaking urine.

If you are experiencing incontinence, Molicare have a vast range of products that are highly absorbent and provide a comfortable fit. With a range of different styles, sizes and absorbency levels – there’s a perfect fit for all incontinence needs. Their curly fibre technology also helps to maintain healthy pH levels and reduce the risk of skin irritation. Molicare has a vast range of incontinence products including adult incontinence pads and incontinence pants for men with their Molicare premium range, Molicare pads and Molicare mobile range. They also have a wide range of incontinence pads for men and incontinence pads for women. 

It is important to seek medical advice and talk to your doctor or a continence professional about your symptoms. Visit your  local Blooms The Chemist Pharmacy team for more information and recommendations on the best products for you. Click here for our range of products.

¹ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2014). Prevalence of Incontinence Among Older Americans (PDF, 1.3 MB). National Center for Health Statistics. Vital Health Statistics; 3(36).