Urinary Incontinence – the loss of urine control, or the inability to hold your urine until you can reach a restroom. More than 13 million people in the United States experience incontinence and 85 percent are women. Urinary incontinence may be a temporary condition, resulting from an underlying medical condition. It can range from the discomfort of slight losses of urine to severe, frequent wetting.

Incontinence is not an inevitable result of aging, but is particularly common in older people. It is often caused by specific changes in body function that may result from diseases, use of medications, and/or the onset of an illness. Sometimes it is the first and only symptom of a urinary tract infection. Women are most likely to develop incontinence either during pregnancy and childbirth, or after the hormonal changes of menopause, because of weakened pelvic muscles.

Types of incontinence include:

Urge Incontinence – the inability to hold urine long enough to reach a restroom. It is often found in people who have conditions such as diabetes, stroke, dementia, Parkinson's disease, and multiple sclerosis, but may be an indication of other diseases or conditions that would also warrant medical attention. It can also appear without apparent cause.

Stress Incontinence – the most common type of incontinence in younger women. It involves the leakage of urine during exercise, coughing, sneezing, laughing, lifting heavy objects, or other body movements that put pressure on the bladder. 

Overflow Incontinence – leakage that occurs when the quantity of urine produced exceeds the bladder's capacity to hold it.

Urogenital Prolapse – descent of the pelvic organs (commonly referred to as a dropped bladder, uterus, vagina or rectum).  May present as a bulge in the vagina and/or pressure.  Many women describe it as a ball in the vagina. It occurs when the tissues and muscles that hold the pelvic organs in place become stretched or weakened. Organs that may be involved in urogenital prolapse include the bladder, urethra, uterus, vagina, small bowel and rectum.

Pelvic or Bladder Pain – a common complaint among women. Its nature and intensity may fluctuate. In some cases, no disease is evident. The pain can be categorized as either acute, meaning the pain is sudden and severe, or chronic, lasting over a period of months or longer. It may originate in genital or extragenital organs in and around the pelvis.

Overactive Bladder – the frequent need to urinate, urinary urgency, urge incontinence, bladder pressure, or difficulty holding back a full bladder.

Sexual Dysfunction – a decrease in or lack of sexual satisfaction. Sexual dysfunction in women is very common and affects up to 40% of women. It often manifests as pain during intercourse and can be a symptom of a larger problem. Stress from work and family, medical problems and menopause, depression, or relationship issues may all contribute to lack of desire for sex.  Body image also plays a role in libido.

Interstitial Cystitis – a complex, chronic disorder characterized by an inflamed or irritated bladder wall. It can lead to scarring and stiffening of the bladder, decreased bladder capacity and glomerulations (pinpoint bleeding). Symptoms include frequent urination; feelings of pressure, pain, and tenderness around the bladder, pelvis and perineum (the area between the anus and vagina); and painful sexual intercourse.

Fistula – an abnormal connection between the rectum and the vagina (rectovaginal) or the bladder (vesicovaginal) and the vagina resulting in fecal and urinary incontinence, respectively.