Many people don’t talk about urinary incontinence because they feel embarrassed, but the condition is common. According to the National Association for Continence, about 25 million American adults have symptoms.
 
Urinary incontinence is leaking urine when you don’t mean to. It can range from slight leaking to severe, frequent wetting.
 
Common symptoms include:

• Being unable to urinate
• Pain when the bladder is full or when urinating
• Weakening of the urinary stream
• Having to urinate more often
• Needing to rush to the restroom and losing urine if not reached in time
• Urine leakage that prevents activities or causes embarrassment
• Urine leakage that began or continued after surgery
• Frequent bladder infections

 
Some symptoms may be similar to other conditions or medical problems. That’s why it’s important to talk to your doctor if you are having any of these symptoms and get a checkup. You may be referred to a urologist, a doctor who treats diseases of the urinary tract.
 
If urinary incontinence is affecting your life, you and your doctor can work together to set up a personalized plan to stop or manage it.