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Watched TV lately? Chances are, you've seen advertisements for personal hygiene products offering security for a weak bladder to protect against an embarrassing moment. For good reason: As many as 30 percent of women and 10 percent of men suffer from incontinence at some point in their lives.

"The good news is that incontinence is treatable," explains Mark Ellerkmann, MD, a full-time faculty member in the Department of Gynecology and Division of Urogynecology and Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery at GBMC. "Approximately 80 percent of patients with urinary incontinence can be cured or improved. Since incontinence is a symptom and not a disease, care begins with an accurate diagnosis."

Many conditions and disorders affect bladder control. In women, these conditions originate from the urinary tract, pregnancy, childbirth and menopause. In men, incontinence may develop after prostate surgery, stroke or radiation therapy. Other causes include birth defects, pelvic surgery, injury to the pelvic region or spinal cord, neurological diseases, infection and degenerative changes associated with aging.

Symptoms of Urinary Incontinence Frequency - Urinating more than one time in a two-hour period, or more than six to seven times in a day. Urgency - Having a sudden strong urge to urinate, with no chance to stop; may lead to urine loss. Nocturia - Needing to get up and urinate during sleep hours. Dysuria - Having a painful urination. Enuresis - Urinating while sleeping; bed-wetting. What's Going On? Incontinence begins in the urinary system, which is composed of two kidneys, two ureters, the bladder, and the urethra. Kidneys remove waste products from the blood and produce urine. Ureters move urine from the kidneys to the bladder. The bladder stores urine until it flows out through the tube-like urethra. The sphincter muscle controls the urethra. When any part of this delicate system malfunctions, incontinence can result.

One of the first steps toward a cure is to identify the type of incontinence:

• Stress incontinence means urine leakage while exercising, sneezing, coughing, laughing or other body movements that put pressure on the bladder.
• Urge incontinence is the  sudden, intense urge to urinate followed by leakage. 
• Mixed incontinence, the most common, has elements of both stress and urge incontinence. 
• Overflow incontinence occurs when the urethra, the tube leading from the bladder to outside the body, is blocked. 
• Functional incontinence happens when one cannot reach the bathroom because of problems associated with thinking, moving or communicating. 
• Transient incontinence occurs because of an underlying medical condition.

Treatment ranges from conservative therapy such as kegel exercises to strengthening the pelvic floor, biofeedback and bladder retraining to medications and devices. Sometimes simple changes in diet or elimination of medications such as diuretics can cure incontinence. More aggressive therapy includes traditional and minimally-invasive surgical techniques.

If you have incontinence, hope and help are available.  Contact GBMC's Continence Line at 443-849-3704 or visit  Continence Services.