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Bridge magazine
Free magazine for people living with incontinence and their family, friends and carers. Available quarterly via email or mail.
Incontinence is the accidental or involuntary loss of bladder or bowel control. The bladder is a part of the body that holds urine (wee). The bowel is a part of the body that produces faeces (or poo).
A loss of bladder or bowel control means a person may experience accidental loss of:
- urine (wee) – urinary incontinence
- faeces (poo) or flatus (wind) – bowel incontinence.
Incontinence can range from small leaks during everyday activities such as coughing or lifting, to a complete loss of bladder or bowel control.
Everyone deserves to live with confidence and dignity. With the right support incontinence can be managed so people can enjoy everyday activities, relationships and opportunities.
Incontinence is often misunderstood, and people may feel uncomfortable or uncertain about asking for support. This can result in unnecessary stress, social isolation or delays in getting the support that could improve their wellbeing.
Where to find support for incontinence
Support from a nurse continence specialist, pelvic health physiotherapist or GP (doctor) can help improve symptoms and, for some people, cure incontinence.
The National Continence Helpline (1800 33 00 66) is staffed by nurse continence specialists who offer free and confidential information, advice and support. They also provide a wide range of continence-related resources and referrals to local services. Open Monday to Friday from 8am to 8pm AEST.
Bridge magazine
Free magazine for people living with incontinence and their family, friends and carers. Available quarterly via email or mail.
Video: What is incontinence?
- 1 in 3 people in Australia over 15 years old experience incontinence – that’s over 7.2 million people.
- Almost 4 in 10 women* and 2 in 10 men* in Australia experience incontinence.
- Women* are 2 times more likely to have incontinence than men.
- Although there’s a higher rate of incontinence among older people, 7 in 10 people with incontinence are younger than 65 years.
- The average age of people experiencing incontinence in Australia is 51 years.
Read more Statistics on incontinence.
This content has been reviewed by subject matter experts in line with Continence Health Australia’s established process. Read about our clinical content review protocol.
