What Increases Your Risk

Sometimes several things combine to cause urinary incontinence. For example, a woman may have had multiple childbirths, be older, and have a severe cough because of chronic bronchitis or smoking. All of these might contribute to her incontinence problem.

Physical conditions that make urinary incontinence more likely include:

• Pregnancy and vaginal delivery.
• Having had a hysterectomy.
• Obesity or being overweight.
• Older age.
• Bladder stones.
• Structural abnormalities of the urinary tract.
• Blockage of the bladder.
• Chronic bladder infections.

Diseases and conditions that may cause urinary incontinence include:

• Chronic cough due to smoking or bronchitis.
• Pelvic organ prolapse.
• Diabetes.
• Parkinson's disease.
• Alzheimer's disease.
• Multiple sclerosis.
• Bladder cancer.
• Stroke.
• Spinal cord injury.

Medicines and foods that may make urinary incontinence worse include:

• Caffeinated and carbonated drinks, such as coffee, tea, and soda pop.
• Alcohol drinks.
• Prescription medicines that increase urine production (such as diuretics) or relax the bladder (such as anticholinergics and antidepressants).
• Smoking.