Stress incontinence causes urine leaks out from the bladder all of a sudden when any physical pressure/ stress is applied to the bladder. It can happen during physical exertion like laughing, coughing, sneezing, exercising, heavy lifting, running jumping, etc., This is not related to psychological stress.

Stress incontinence is very common in women than men. people with severe and moderate stress incontinence may leak urine even for a less forceful activities like standing up, bending over. In some cases, urine may even soak through the inner garments.

Stress incontinence is different from overactive bladder (OAB) or urgency urinary incontinence (UUI). In UUI disorder, people tend to have urgency to urinate at once the bladder is full. The bladder muscle contracts that causes a sudden urge to urinate before you can reach the bathroom. People with OAB may even leak urine when they have the urge to urinate.

Statistics says that about 1 in 3 women suffers from stress incontinence at some point in their life. Stress incontinence can also worsen as we age. About 1 in 2 women aged 65 and above find themselves leaking urine. This is also be seen in a few men who have undergone surgery for prostate cancer and pelvic nerve injury.