Urinary Incontinence Prevalence Men Vs. Women

Urinary incontinence is an involuntary loss of urine. According to the Mayo Clinic, women are more likely than men to suffer from stress incontinence. Men who have prostate problems, on the other hand, suffer more from overflow and urge incontinence.

Types

• Two common types of urinary incontinence are urge incontinence and stress incontinence. Urge incontinence is a sudden and intense urge to urinate, resulting in an involuntary release of urine if the person cannot get to a toilet fast enough. Stress incontinence is the release of a small amount of urine due to stress from things like coughing, sneezing or exercise.

Severity

• About a third of all women experience some form of urinary incontinence. Only about 4 to 8 percent of women, however, experience urinary incontinence severe enough to make a substantial impact on their daily lives, according to a 1995 study by Sandvik et al.

Women

• Stress incontinence is more common in women than men due to differences in anatomy as well as the additional stress placed on the pelvic floor by pregnancy, childbirth and menopause.

Men

• Only about 3 to 11 percent of men experience urinary incontinence. However, of this group with urinary incontinence, 40 to 80 percent experience urge incontinence, according to a 1993 study by Sandvik et al. Men may experience stress incontinence if they've had prostate surgery, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Age

• Both men and women have an increased risk for urinary incontinence as they get older, with men's rates rising steadily and women's rates peaking during menopause. Women over 70, however, are twice as likely to have urinary incontinence as men of the same age.