Incontinence

Incontinence is when a person is not able to control their bowel or bladder. It may be caused by different types of treatment.

Learn more about:

• Faecal incontinence
• Urinary incontinence

Faecal incontinence

The movement of waste through the large bowel can become faster after surgery or radiation therapy. This can mean you need to go to the toilet more urgently and more often. It may also result in a loss of control over bowel movements. Bowel surgery or radiation therapy may weaken the anus, making it difficult to hold on when you feel the need to empty your bowels, particularly if you have loose stools (diarrhoea).

Urinary incontinence

This is when urine leaks from your bladder without your control. Bladder control may change after surgery or radiation therapy. For example, radiation therapy can irritate the lining of your bladder, because the bladder is located near the large bowel. Some people find they need to urinate more often, need to go in a hurry or don’t fully empty the bladder.

If you have bowel or bladder changes, you may feel embarrassed, but there are ways to manage the symptoms. Incontinence issues usually improve in a few months, but sometimes take years. Talk to your health care team about whether any bowel or bladder changes are likely to be permanent.

For ways to manage incontinence:

• Talk to your surgeon or GP about available treatments. They may refer you to the hospital continence nurse or physiotherapist, who can suggest exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles.
• Call the National Continence Helpline on 1800 33 00 66 to talk to a continence nurse about continence aids, if needed, or visit bladderbowel.gov.au.
• Visit the National Public Toilet Map to locate public toilets near you. You can also download the National Public Toilet Map App from the App Store (Apple phones) or Google Play (Android phones).