Incontinence is the inability to control the discharge of excretory functions, usually due to a dysfunction in the bladder or the urethral and anal sphincters. Depending on where the dysfunction is located, a person can suffer from urinary incontinence, fecal incontinence, or both. Of those suffering from urinary incontinence, the most common types are:

• Stress incontinence, which is the loss of small amounts of urine as the result of physical activity that increases pressure on the bladder. Physical activities that induce stress incontinence can be as minor as coughing, laughing, or sneezing.
• Urge incontinence, which is the sudden feeling of the need to urinate.  When someone suffering from nerve or muscle damage experiences urge, it may be called reflex incontinence, as well.
• Functional incontinence, which is the inability to recognize the need to go to the bathroom, or the inability to get there in time.   Those suffering from dementia, poor eyesight, poor mobility, or obesity are prone to functional incontinence.
• Overflow incontinence, which is the constant need to go to the bathroom due to the body’s inability to empty the bladder. Weak bladder muscles or decreased neural signals from the bladder to the brain can inhibit the emptying of the bladder, thereby resulting in a constant sense of overflow.