How Do You Know If You Have Bowel Incontinence?

Published August 22, 2024 by

How do you know if you have bowel incontinence? This embarrassing condition can become conspicuous and hard to hide. If you are lucky, you will only soil your underwear without knowing it, but there are other tell-tale signs to watch for. 

Signs and Types of Bowel Incontinence

There are two types of bowel incontinence, also known as fecal incontinence:

• Urge incontinence is when you need to move your bowels, but you cannot control it to reach the toilet in time.
• Passive incontinence is when you don’t realize you have leaked feces and or mucus, and you find it in your underwear. This is also known as soiling. It can occur when passing gas or coughing.

Bowel incontinence can happen only occasionally, or it can become a regular problem.  This can lead to resisting social encounters and depression. If you are finding fecal incontinence occurring more frequently, don’t be embarrassed to consult with board-certified gastroenterologist Dr. Jonathan Erlich in Chicago, IL. Physicians have heard it all and can help you find some solutions and/or treatments.

Some Causes of Bowel Incontinence

In general, bowel incontinence occurs due to a chronic medical condition, digestive tract disorder, or childbirth by vaginal delivery. 

More specifically, it can be the result of diarrhea, constipation, hemorrhoids, diseases or injuries to the spinal cord, diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease like Crohn’s disease, dementia, birth defects, plus others.

Let’s look at several of the common causes in depth.

Constipation

With constipation hard feces back up and stretch out the muscles in the rectum. This allows loose and watery feces to slip around the bulk and leak out.

Neurologic Diseases

These include conditions like: MS, Parkinson’s, a stroke, type 2 Diabetes, and dementia. They affect the nerves of the anus, pelvic floor, and rectum.

Childbirth by Vaginal Delivery

If your child was large, if forceps were used, you had a vacuum assisted delivery, or if a cut was made to accommodate the baby’s head, these situations can cause an injury to the anal sphincters leading to bowel incontinence.

Hemorrhoids

Hemorrhoids are swollen veins in the rectum which can keep the anus from completely closing. This allows feces to leak out.

Treatments Are Available

Don’t give up as there are various ways to treat bowel incontinence including medications, muscle training, diet, removable devices, and biofeedback to name a few.

Sometimes surgery is recommended to fix structural problems.

Schedule a Bowel Incontinence Consultation in Chicago, IL

If you are experiencing bowel incontinence, contact GI Solutions of Illinois at (773) 631-2728 for a diagnosis and your treatment options. Schedule your appointment at our gastroenterology clinic in Chicago, IL today.

Sources: Bowel incontinence – NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Fecal incontinence – Symptoms and causes – Mayo Clinic

Bowel Incontinence (Fecal Incontinence): Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment (webmd.com)

Fecal Incontinence | Cedars-Sinai

Categories: Bowel Incontinence, News