Picture the following scenario!
You’re out on the weekends playing golf with your buddies. As you proceed to tee off, you realize everyone has their eyes fixated on your groin.
This immediately strikes you as odd. Are your zippers undone, or is everyone simply acting weird?
You lower your gaze to check out, and that’s when it hits you that you’ve just had a bathroom accident.
For people with urinary incontinence, these aren’t some distant fables. They’re a daily reality.
What makes urinary incontinence so worrisome is that it can result from a variety of triggers. And if improperly managed, the complications can be just as severe.
While the gradual weakening of sphincter muscles has largely been attributed to old age, emerging research cites constipation as a major cause and risk factor. Read below as we unravel the interwoven link between constipation and urinary incontinence.
What Is Urinary Incontinence?
One of the most nagging questions for people with urinary incontinence is - can constipation cause bladder pain?
We’ll delve into that question shortly. But first, what is urinary incontinence?
Urinary incontinence, also known as urge incontinence or bladder incontinence, occurs when you have a sudden urge to pee followed by an inadvertent passage of urine. The condition affects between 5% and 70% of the population in various countries.
Urinary incontinence typically results from the gradual weakening of the sphincter and pelvic floor muscles. That explains why it’s mostly an old age problem.
However, several other factors may trigger or worsen urge incontinence. Those include urinary tract infections (UTIs), vaginal infections, bladder injuries, certain medications, and constipation.
Urinary incontinence may also be due to causes besides underlying triggers, such as intoxication, intense anxiety or laughter, a powerful cough or sneeze, or unavailability of bathrooms.
What Is Constipation?
Constipation occurs when stool remains in the large intestine (colon) longer than it should.
Causes range from eating an unbalanced diet to skimping fluid intake and leading a sedentary lifestyle. Other common triggers include;
- Certain medications
- Medical conditions (such as irritable bowel syndrome)
- Ignoring the urge to go
- Major lifestyle changes (such as pregnancy and traveling)
Most constipated people experience abdominal discomfort, flatulence, and difficulty stooling.
While commonly contrasted with diarrhea, constipation may also trigger a runny stomach. That’s usually evidenced when you have a sudden urge to poop and can't hold it.
Constipation may also cause symptoms of bowel pressing on bladder. This may trigger excruciating pain and discomfort, especially for people with urge incontinence.
What’s The Relationship Between Constipation and Urinary Incontinence?
1. Prolonged Fluid Reabsorption
Constipation is a result of stool lingering in the colon much longer, causing more fluid to be reabsorbed from the stool and drained through the bladder.
As stool loses more fluid, it becomes harder to pass. Meanwhile, the continued draining of the fluid can lead to an overactive bladder.
2. Continued Stool Accumulation
Multiple scientific experiments have established a relationship between constipation and frequent urination.
But how does that happen?
As mentioned, stool loses more water the longer it stays in the colon. This results in a hard mass that only blocks the colon further, preventing new stool from passing.
Without prompt intervention, the colon may fill with stool and become unbearably painful. The gradual accumulation of stool in the colon may also cause it to stretch.
A stretched colon can prolong constipation by causing stool to move even slower. Worse yet, it can exert more pressure on the bladder and prevent it from filling or make it contract when it shouldn’t. The net effect - frequent urination.
3. Misdirected Bowel Signals
The bladder and bowel muscles are functionally similar. During normal physiological activities, the nerves determine when these muscles should tense up or relax.
However, when messages from the brain are directed to the bowel or bladder, spinal cord nerves may not always distinguish which specific organ to relay the signals to. That explains why most people inadvertently pee when stooling and why you must press back your rectal muscles more intensely when peeing is the sole intention.
When constipated, the brain will naturally send muscle contraction messages to your bowels to initiate a bowel movement. However, those signals may be picked up and redirected to the bladder, leading to unintentional peeing instead.
4. High UTI Risks
Constipation is a major risk factor for urinary tract infections.
The relationship between constipation and UTI is best demonstrated by the fact that constipation can prevent your bowel and bladder from emptying. This could lead to increased fluid retention, providing the perfect conditions for the UTI-causing bacteria to proliferate in your bladder and cause infection.
So, can constipation cause urinary retention?
While constipation may trigger frequent urination by causing the colon to press against the bladder muscles, it could also lead to urine retention by preventing the bladder from emptying fully.
Can constipation cause bladder pain, too?
The pressure exerted when the colon presses against the bladder will undoubtedly cause pain. Besides, the pain may develop as a symptom of constipation-related urinary tract infection.
Tips for Managing Urinary Incontinence
Numerous studies have proved that constipation can indeed cause urinary incontinence. Therefore, preventing constipation may proactively minimize the occurrence or severity of incontinence symptoms.
Some simple fixes to bowel control challenges include ramping up fluid intake and adjusting your diet (with a focus on fiber). Besides, staying active and going whenever the urge presents itself can help to treat or prevent constipation.
If urinary incontinence is due to other factors, you could manage the condition effectively using adult diapers.
Also known as incontinence briefs, adult diapers help soak up bladder and bowel discharge, preventing you from having bathroom accidents in public. There are numerous brands to pick from, including adult pampers and Depends diapers.
Booster pads and bed pads are other revolutionary products you may use to manage urinary incontinence. Booster pads are worn underneath adult diapers to enhance a diaper’s fluid absorption capacity, whereas bed pads keep your bedding dry at night.
The Bottom Line
Constipation may be primarily a bowel problem. However, if untreated, it can impact your bladder’s performance and trigger or exacerbate urinary incontinence.
Managing constipation can help improve your gut’s health and avoid related complications, including hemorrhoids and rectal bleeding. More importantly, it can ease urinary incontinence symptoms and make the condition more tolerable.
Due to the amount of strain that an overfilled colon can exert on the bladder, it’s better to prevent constipation than have to deal with it.
Fortunately, preventive strategies are within reach for most people. All it takes is to insist on a balanced diet and drink plenty of fluids. Remember to stay active, mind your posture, and heed every urge to go.
