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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 · 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, bladder leaks, the prostate, kidney disease and bedwetting, on one list.
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.