This page explains the difference between continence and incontinence, including bowel (faecal) and urinary incontinence. It explores how urinary incontinence can affect men, women, children and older adults, and what may happen when you seek help. Discover the tests a healthcare professionals may use to understand symptoms and give a diagnosis.
Note to readers: According to research from AgeUK, the word “pee” is generally preferred, so we’ve used it consistently throughout this page.
Incontinence vs continence
Continence refers to a person’s ability to control bladder and/or bowel movements. Incontinence on the other hand is when someone loses that ability either entirely or partially. If you are incontinent, you are likely to experience accidental leaks that can vary in severity. Incontinence is not always a life-long condition and can sometimes be treated just by simple lifestyle changes, like limiting caffeine.
Anyone of any age and gender can be incontinent. In the UK alone, it is estimated that around 14 million people suffer from continence problems and around 6.5 million with some form of bowel problem.1
There are two types of incontinence, bowel (faecal) incontinence and urinary incontinence. People with bowel incontinence will have less/no control over their bowel movements, and people with urinary incontinence will have less/no control over their bladder.
Urinary incontinence in men
Incontinence in men becomes more common with age. Over 10% of men over the age of 65 will experience urinary incontinence to some degree.2
Men who experience urinary incontinence are more likely to have stress incontinence than other types. This type of urinary incontinence causes leaks during physical activities, e.g. lifting, or when pressure is placed on the abdomen, e.g. coughing or sneezing.
A cause of male incontinence that is specific to men is prostate‑related issues, e.g. Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) or prostatitis.
Urinary incontinence in women
Women are twice more likely to have incontinence than men.2
Women, just like men are more likely to experience stress incontinence than any other type of urinary incontinence.
The risk of having stress incontinence is greater for women who are pregnant, have given birth, or are going through menopause. All three of these scenarios cause the pelvic floor muscles to weaken which can cause involuntary leaks.
Some conditions that can cause incontinence in women include Fowler’s Syndrome and Endometriosis.
Urinary incontinence in the elderly
The most common type of incontinence in older adults is urge incontinence, often linked with an overactive bladder diagnosis. If you have urge incontinence you are likely to need to pee more frequently and have a sudden overwhelming urge to pee.
Getting older can reduce the capacity of the bladder, and increase your risk of getting nerve and neurological conditions, such as Parkinson’s disease. Not everyone who is aged over 65 will become incontinent, many older adults can live without ever experiencing incontinence.
Urinary incontinence in children
Urinary incontinence most commonly presents in children as leaks and bed wetting (nocturnal enuresis). Around 15% of all 7 year olds regularly wet the bed.3
For most children, incontinence will be temporary and will stop with age. However, it can be persistent if there is an underlying condition.
If your child is experiencing symptoms after the age of 5, you may want to speak to a healthcare professional to see what advice they have.
Urinary incontinence diagnosis
The first step to getting diagnosed for incontinence is to book an appointment with your healthcare professional or continence team. During your appointment, they will try to understand your symptoms to help identify the type of incontinence you have. Your healthcare professional may ask you:
- Your medical history and if you have any existing conditions
- Whether you have been having leaks and if so, when these leaks have been happening
- Whether you have any difficulty peeing
- If you are taking any medication
- How much fluid you drink in the day, and whether you drink alcohol or caffeine
Your healthcare professional may also recommend a bladder diary for you to record your symptoms and bladder habits. In the bladder diary, you can note how often you went to the toilet during the day and night and your fluid intake. Once you have filled this in for a few days, your healthcare professional will have a better understanding of your condition and may be able to identify possible triggers.
During your appointment, your healthcare professional may do a physical examination. For women, this will be vaginal examination that will check your pelvic floor muscles and the overall health of your urinary system. For men this will be a Digital Rectal Examination (DRE) where the healthcare professional inserts their finger into your bottom to examine the prostate gland.
Once you have been diagnosed with urinary incontinence, the next step is to look at the different ways you can manage your condition. This could be through a continence product, such as an intermittent self-catheter, urinary sheath or continence pads. There are also simple changes to your lifestyle that will help you manage incontinence. The type of treatment provided will be tailored to your personal needs and condition.
Urinary incontinence tests
Dipstick test
Used if your GP thinks your incontinence may be caused by a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI).
A dipstick will be dipped into a pee sample to detect bacteria, blood and protein.
Bladder scan
This is a non-invasive scan to see how much pee is left in your bladder after you go to the toilet.
Used if your healthcare professional thinks you may have overflow incontinence.
Cystoscopy
Where a tube with a camera attached is inserted into the urethra (the tube that moves pee out of the bladder) to look inside your bladder.
Support and resources
Find lots of helpful tips for living with incontinence in our resource library.
Types of incontinence
Learn the six types of urinary incontinence, their symptoms and the treatment options available.
Common causes of urinary incontinence
Learn about the common causes of urinary incontinence and the risk factors in men, women, and older adults.
Bladder Diary
Track daily activities, fluid intake and bathroom visits with our free downloadable bladdery diary.
Prostate-related urinary incontinence
Learn how the prostate affects bladder control, common prostate-related causes of urinary problems, diagnosis and treatment options.
References
- Bladder and Bowel UK, Continence Problems in the UK [Website]: https://www.bbuk.org.uk/continence-problems-in-the-uk/ (Accessed 9 February 2026)
- Incontinence UK, How Incontinence Affects Men and Women Differently [Website]: https://www.incontinenceuk.co.uk/news/how-incontinence-affects-men-and-women-differently (Accessed 9 February 2026)
- ERIC, Bedwetting [Website]: https://eric.org.uk/childrens-bladders/bedwetting/ (Accessed 18 February 2026)