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Bladder leaks (urinary incontinence): the types, when to get care, and what helps
For any adult who leaks urine: with a cough, a sneeze, a laugh or lifting; after a sudden, strong urge; at night; or with no warning. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK, part of the NIH) says bladder control problems are common, especially in women, that leaking is not a routine part of being a woman or getting older, and that proper treatment may improve your quality of life. This page passes on, by name, what NIDDK says: the signs and when to seek care right away, the types and their causes, the exam, the bladder diary and the tests, what you can try yourself, and medicines, devices, surgery and products. It builds the words to say to a provider, and prints a card for the visit.
A word with a dotted line under it, like this, opens its official definition, quoted from a U.S. government glossary.
Right now
- You cannot pee at all, and your lower belly is full or hurts: go to the emergency room now (ours). NIDDK says not being able to pass urine or empty your bladder is a sign of urinary retention, and to seek care right away.
- The person is confused, very hard to wake, fainting, or seems very sick: call 911 (ours). See also our page on sepsis.
- Blood in your urine, painful peeing, or eight or more bathroom visits a day: NIDDK says to seek care right away. With fever, chills, or pain in your back or side, call a provider today (ours), and see our page on bladder infection.
More help
- Related: Bladder infection (UTI) in adults · Kidney stones · Menopause, and the years around it · Constipation in adults · Bowel control problems (leaking stool) · Bladder pain (interstitial cystitis) · When you want to quit smoking · Kidneys, bladder and urine: find the right page.
- A child: Bedwetting: what helps, what doesn’t, and when to call · A baby or child: find the right page.
- Care and costs: NIDDK’s bladder diary (PDF) · When you need a doctor and can’t pay · When medicine costs too much · My medicines list · Get ready for your appointment · When you’re caring for someone.
- In a crisis: Help right now (988, 911). All our free tools.
Kidneys, bladder or urine, and not sure this is the right page? The pages on this site for bladder infections, kidney stones, blood in the urine, bladder pain, bladder leaks, the prostate, kidney disease and bedwetting, on one list.
Other guides on this site that go with this page
Free to read. We chose these ourselves; no professional did. Each guide was written with AI and has not been reviewed by a professional. They are general information, not advice.
- Kegel exercises (pelvic floor muscle training): finding the right muscles, the method, and every day: Kegel exercises (pelvic floor muscle training): what they are and who they can help, finding the right muscles, the method, and fitting them into every day.
- Urinary diversion (a urostomy, a stoma, a catheter or a new bladder): the types, the care, and living with it: a urinary diversion (a catheter, a nephrostomy tube, a stent, a urostomy, a reservoir inside the body or a new bladder): what it is and why it may be needed, the types, caring for a stoma and a pouch, the signs of an infection, and activity, sex and food.
- Perineal injury in males (an injury between the legs): the signs, the causes, and the treatment: perineal injury in males (an injury between the legs): what it is and who is more likely, the signs, what it can lead to, the tests and treatment, and protecting yourself.
- Urinary retention: when you cannot pee, or cannot empty your bladder: urinary retention (suddenly unable to pee, or a bladder that never empties): acute and chronic, the signs and how common, the causes (medicines and surgery included), the visit and the tests, the treatment, and what helps.
- Diabetes, sexual and bladder problems: erection trouble, dryness and pain, leaks, trouble going, infections, and what helps: diabetes, sexual and bladder problems: why diabetes can change sex and the bladder, erection problems, low desire, dryness and painful sex, yeast and bladder infections, leaks, trouble going, and what helps.
- Cystocele (a fallen bladder): the bulge and the pressure, the grades, who is more likely, the exam, Kegel exercises, a pessary or surgery, and keeping it from getting worse: a cystocele (a fallen or prolapsed bladder): the bulge and the pressure; the grades; how common it is, who is more likely and the causes; leaks and trouble emptying the bladder; the pelvic exam and the tests; Kegel exercises, a pessary and surgery; and keeping it from getting worse.
This page and its wording were written with AI (Claude) for Scarlet Beast (our AI policy). No doctor or nurse has reviewed it. The facts were read on October 15, 2026 on NIDDK’s Bladder Control Problems (Urinary Incontinence) pages (NIH): the overview, Definition & Facts, Symptoms & Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention (last reviewed July 2021), and NIDDK’s bladder diary. Ours: going to the emergency room now when you cannot pee at all and your lower belly is full or hurts; calling a provider the same day for fever, chills, or back or side pain with the leaks or painful peeing; calling 911 when the person is confused, very hard to wake, fainting or seems very sick; calling or texting 988 for thoughts of suicide; that leaks are not your fault; not cutting back hard on liquids or stopping a medicine on your own; trying one change at a time and noting it in the diary; taking the diary and your medicine list to the visit; saying if you are or could be pregnant before imaging; asking about the cost; and the order of the steps. What we left out: the names of the medicines and medicine groups NIDDK gives, doses, NIDDK’s figures on how many people have leaks, and clinical pages for providers. This page is about adults. This page saves nothing and loads no trackers.