Common Causes of Female Teenage Incontinence

May 21, 2013

Bladder or urinary incontinence in teens occurs when the individual cannot keep their urine from leaking out of their urethra. The urethra carries the urine from their bladder so it can exit the body.

There are three common kinds of urinary incontinence.

1. Urge incontinence – many times referred to as having an overactive bladder, this involves a sudden and very strong need to empty the bladder. The bladder squeezes, causing an individual to urinate before she reaches the bathroom.
2. Stress incontinence – this happens during particular activities, such as sneezing, coughing, lifting, exercise, and laughing.
3. Overflow incontinence – this occurs when the bladder is unable to empty, which leads to leaking.

Some teenage incontinence is termed mixed incontinence, which includes more than one kind of urinary incontinence.

1. The bladder begins filling with the urine from the kidneys.
2. The bladder stretches out to allow room for the urine.
3. Once the bladder has almost one cup of urine in it, an individual is supposed to feel the initial urge to empty her bladder. The bladder should continue filling even after she feels this urge.

On average, an individual should be able to hold more than two cups of urine in her bladder.

Two muscles help control the flow of urine:

• The detrusor – otherwise referred to as the bladder wall muscle. This muscle must be able to remain relaxed to allow the bladder to stretch.
• The sphincter – these are the circular muscles located around the bladder’s opening. The sphincter has to be able to squeeze properly to keep urine from dribbling.

According to Dr. Roy NG, who is the head of the division of pelvic reconstructive surgery and urogynecology at National University Hospital in Singapore, if a little girl suffers with urinary incontinence that continues into her teenage years, she could have a congenital abnormality. One such abnormality is a double ureter.

The ureter drains the urine from the kidney into the bladder. A girl who has a double ureter may have a ureter that drains into her vagina. This gives rise to the inability for her to hold her urine and is a continuous problem because urine production occurs quickly at one or two milliliters per minute.

If an ovarian cyst presses on the bladder, this could cause the symptoms felt with urge incontinence. It could also obstruct the lower portion of the bladder or urethra. A physician can perform a physical examination and order an ultrasound scan to diagnose an ovarian cyst. Should this be the case, surgery is necessary to remove the ovarian cyst.

If an individual begins experiencing this problem soon after becoming sexually active, she may have a UTI or bladder infection.

• When one has a UTI or cystitis, she frequently feels like she has to empty her bladder; however, she will only pass a little urine at a time. With these conditions, she could also have urge incontinence causing leakage before she reaches the bathroom. Urinating is painful and a stinging or burning sensation generally accompanies it. She may also notice that her urine looks bloody or cloudy.
• If a UTI or cystitis is not treated, it may lead to the inability to completely empty the bladder, overflow incontinence and over-distention. Overflow incontinence refers to the leakage of urine without physical stress or an urgency warning.
• Another possibility is pregnancy (12- to 13- week) in a uterus that tilts backwards.

Dealing with incontinence is difficult for anyone, but teenage incontinence can be especially challenging. Wearever has the products necessary to help teenage ladies with incontinence feel more confident. Teens that use our Wearever incontinence panties know if an incident does occur, Wearever undergarments will keep it discreet.

 

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