Mixed incontinence

If an involuntary leakage of urine occurs with both an urge to urinate and during physical exertion, this is known as mixed incontinence. Women aged 50 and over in particular are susceptible by this condition. Affected women often relate stories like this during consultations: "Every now and then ever since my children were born, I've been losing a few drops of urine when coughing or doing sport. Up until recently, I managed to deal with it pretty well. A thin pad was normally enough just to make sure. More lately, though, I've had such a sudden, strong urge to urinate a few seconds after coughing that I've found it very hard to hold it in. This occurs quite a lot in cold weather, then everything happens so quickly that I can't do anything about it in time."

One cause of mixed incontinence is overactivity of the urinary bladder triggered by physical exertion. Affected women typically describe a strong urge to urinate arising immediately after coughing or sneezing, when doing sport or even after laughing, which is hard to suppress and requires an immediate visit to the toilet. It is already too late in many cases, and a not inconsiderable quantity of urine is expelled.