Urinary Incontinence in Children

Most children have bladder control during the day by age four and control over the bladder at night by age six. Urinary incontinence, also called enuresis, is the involuntary leakage of urine. Incontinence in children differs from daytime wetting or “having an accident.” Kids who have daytime wetting or “accidents” often are not aware of being wet until it is too late. This is very common in young children and children who are still toilet training.

Causes of Incontinence in children can include:

• Constipation. Based on clinical experience, in about 70% of cases, children experiencing urinary incontinence are constipated. A full bowel can put added pressure on the bladder, causing leakage of urine. Relieving the constipation will often alleviate incontinence.
• A bladder or urinary tract infection (UTI). Girls aged 15 years and older can be evaluated for urinary incontinence by Dr. Victoria Staiman, who specializes in treating adolescent girls and women for urinary incontinence and other pelvic conditions.

In the majority of children, incontinence, daytime wetting and bedwetting, is something that your child will grow out of as he or she matures and develops greater control over his or her bladder. If urinary incontinence or wetting is a problem for your child, there are many resources available to help you cope with and overcome this problem with your child at Chesapeake Urology for Children.