Bladder control problems

Urine leakage
Uncontrollable urine leakage is an embarrassing and debilitating disease that can lead to depression and social isolation if not treated. There are two main types of urinary incontinence in women known as urge incontinence and stress incontinence. Urge incontinence is urine leakage that occurs before a woman has a chance to get to the bathroom in response to an urge to urinate. This may happen during the day, at night or both. Stress incontinence is urine leakage that occurs with activities such as coughing, laughing, exercise or sneezing.

Urinary urgency and frequency
Generally, it is considered normal to urinate up to eight times during a twenty-four hour period including waking up once at night. If a person is urinating more often than that, they are said to have urinary frequency. Sometimes, frequency is worse during certain times of day. When a woman has an uncomfortably strong need to void that arises quickly this is called urinary urgency . If a needs to urinate more than once a night and her sleep is being disrupted, this is called nocturia. Any combination of urgency, frequency, and nocturia with or without urine leakage are now often referred to as overactive bladder.

Painful urination

Dysuria
Dysuria is a painful feeling that accompanies urination is most often but not always due to a urinary tract infection (UTI). Other causes include infection of the urethra (called urethritis), and painful bladder syndromes such as interstitial cystitis (IC) not due to infection. A Herpes outbreak is occasionally a cause of severe pain with urination.

Fecal leakage

Normally bowel movements (stools) are stored in the rectum until the bowel sends a message to the brain that it is full, and the person finds a convenient bathroom. This voluntary control is provided by a ring of muscular tissue called the anal sphincter, which surrounds the anal opening and lower rectum. Sometimes, damages to the anal sphincter, or the other muscles, nerves or connective tissue of the pelvis can cause uncontrolled loss of stool. Examples include:

• problems with hemorrhoids
• irritable bowel syndrome
• damage to the pelvic floor at the time of childbirth
• pelvic surgeries and scarring
• nervous system diseases like multiple sclerosis or Parkinson’s Disease
  Fecal incontinence in women is a more wide spread problem than previously thought. As many as 10% of women over age 65 who are not living in nursing homes report troublesome loss of bowel control. Many younger women are also troubled by fecal incontinence. It is important to know that while not everyone can be cured, most women with fecal incontinence can be helped substantially—often without surgery.

Pelvic organ prolapse

If you have a bulge, you may be experiencing pelvic prolapse. Pelvic organ prolapse is a condition that results from weakening, breaking and/or stretching of the connective tissue, muscles, and nerves that make up the pelvic floor. This weakening and stretching allows pelvic organs to drop, bulge, or “prolapse” into the vagina. Commonly, prolapse is related to the pressure and stretching involved in childbirth, but it can also be related to repetitive strenuous work, chronic coughing, smoking and less commonly, accidental injury, or to an inherited weakened tissue.

Loss of pelvic support can involve a variety of problems:

• The bladder can bulge through the front wall of the vagina. This is known as a cystocele.
• The rectum can bulge through the back wall of the vagina. This is known as a rectocele.
• The uterus can fall down into or out of the entrance to the vagina. This is known as uterine prolapse. 
• The bowels or intestines can prolapse into the vagina. This is known as an enterocele.

Painful sexual intercourse

Perineal injuries can increase the risk of sexual pain after childbirth. In other cases, tenderness or “spasm” of the levator muscles may lead to pain during penetration. Other causes also include endometriosis or a retroverted uterus.