Urinary incontinence is the unintentional leakage of urine.
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPE OF URINARY INCONTINENCE?
Stress Incontinence is the most common form of urinary incontinence, and is caused by physical exertion, such as sneezing or exercise. Stress incontinence is urine leakage that happens during activity that causes pressure (or "stress") on the bladder such as laughing, lifting, coughing or sneezing.
Urge incontinence is another form where the woman feels a strong need to urinate and cannot stop herself. Urge incontinence is urine leakage that occurs before a woman has a chance to get to the bathroom in response to an urge to urinate.
Women with this type of leakage may also experience frequent urges to urinate and frequent nighttime waking to urinate.
Mixed Incontinence. Some women have a mixture of both types called Mixed Incontinence.
HOW COMMON IS URINARY INCONTINENCE?
Urinary incontinence affects an estimated 5 million women in England and Wales aged over 20 and the rate may be over 50% in women after the age of menopause, yet the condition is largely a taboo subject. Urinary incontinence affects women at different ages - it can occur in women after pregnancy as well as in later years, often having a major impact on their day-to-day lives. Many women are too embarrassed to seek help from their GP, and often are not aware that effective treatments are available. Many women incorrectly assume that urine leakage is normal. While the problem of urine leakage is very common, it should never be considered normal.
WHAT CAUSES URINARY INCONTINENCE?
Urinary incontinence is a symptom, not a disease. This means that there are many possible causes of urinary incontinence. The key to treatment is identifying the specific type(s) of incontinence that a woman has through a careful 
medical interview and focused physical exam. It may also be necessary to perform special tests called urodynamics to diagnose the problem. Urodynamics are necessary if a woman is considering surgery to correct incontinence.
Stress Inconntinece occurs when the pressure inside the abdomen is increased such as during exercise, coughing, sneezing, laughing etc. The increased pressure in the abdomen is also applied to the bladder and if the normal sphincter like opening to the base of the bladder is weak and fails then urine leaks out.
WHAT CAN I DO TO PREVENT URINARY INCONTINENCE?
We don't fully understand all the factors that cause urinary incontinence, so it is difficult to recommend ways to prevent the problem. Pelvic muscle exercises (PME) - also known as Kegel exercises - are probably the best way to prevent stress incontinence.
WHAT TREATMENT IS AVAILABLE FOR URINARY INCONTINENCE?
Stress incontinence can be effectively treated with pelvic floor exercises, devices that "block" the loss of urine, or surgery
Urge incontinence is commonly treated with medications, biofeedback, or electrical stimulation to the nerves that control the bladder. There is even a new treatment for urge incontinence that involves placement of an electrical stimulator under the skin (similar to a pacemaker). The most important thing to remember is that there is a wide variety of non-surgical and surgical treatment options available for all kinds of urinary incontinence.