Fellowship-Trained Urogynecologist
Urogynecology & Reconstructive Pelvic Surgery
Green Bay, Wisconsin
✓ Medically reviewed March 2026
What Is Urge Incontinence?
Urge incontinence is a type of bladder control problem where you experience a sudden, intense urge to urinate followed by involuntary leaking before you can reach a bathroom. Unlike stress incontinence (which happens during physical activity), urge incontinence is driven by involuntary contractions of the bladder muscle — your bladder essentially squeezes when it shouldn’t.
How It Feels
Women with urge incontinence often describe:
- A sudden, overwhelming need to urinate that comes out of nowhere
- Leaking on the way to the bathroom — sometimes a few drops, sometimes more
- Key triggers: hearing running water, putting a key in the door (“latchkey incontinence”), cold temperatures, or anxiety
- Needing to urinate frequently (more than 7-8 times a day)
- Waking up multiple times at night to urinate
Urge incontinence can be particularly frustrating because it feels unpredictable. You might be fine one moment and suddenly desperate the next. But it’s important to know that this isn’t a weakness — it’s a medical condition caused by involuntary bladder muscle activity.
What Causes It
The bladder muscle (detrusor) normally stays relaxed while the bladder fills, then contracts when you choose to urinate. In urge incontinence, this muscle contracts on its own at inappropriate times. Possible causes include:
- Neurological changes that affect bladder nerve signaling
- Bladder irritation from infections, diet, or medications
- Changes in pelvic floor muscle coordination
- Hormonal changes after menopause
- Previous pelvic surgery
In many cases, no specific cause is identified — but treatment is still effective.
Treatment Options
- Bladder training — gradually increasing the time between bathroom trips to retrain your bladder
- Pelvic floor therapy — learning to use pelvic floor contractions to suppress urgency
- Dietary modifications — reducing caffeine, alcohol, and other bladder irritants
- Medications — anticholinergics or beta-3 agonists can calm the overactive bladder muscle
- Botox injections — injected into the bladder muscle to reduce involuntary contractions
- Sacral neuromodulation — a small implanted device that regulates bladder nerve signals
We typically start with behavioral approaches and add medications if needed. For women who don’t respond to those, Botox and nerve stimulation offer excellent results. There’s always something more we can try.
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