10 REASONS YOU HAVE LEAKY WATERWORKS

1 A BLADDER INFECTION Bacteria can live harmlessly in the bowel but spell trouble if they enter the bladder. An infection will irritate your bladder, triggering muscle spasms that make you pee more often. Infections are more common in women than in men.

2 OR A KIDNEY BUG Bacteria can sometimes travel from the bladder into one or both of the kidneys. This is more serious than a bladder infection and much more painful. A kidney infection needs treating with antibiotics to stop it damaging these 3 vital organs.

KIDNEY STONES Kidney stones – hard crystallised lumps – can get stuck in your waterworks, making you go to the loo more frequently and causing intense pain as you try to pass them. They are basically waste products in the blood which build up and turn into crystals. 4 TOO MUCH COFFEE Things that make the kidneys increase urine production are called diuretics, and this includes caffeine. The body builds up a tolerance if you drink coffee or tea regularly.

5 A PROSTATE PROBLEM This gland, which is found only in men, can become swollen. When this happens, the prostate presses on the tube that carries urine out of the body – and that means needing to pass water more often or suddenly.

6 YOU HAVE A WEAK OR OVERACTIVE BLADDER A sudden need to urinate during the day or night is known as urge incontinence. The condition is triggered by a muscle in the bladder going into overdrive. No one knows why this happens, although stroke or brain disease can be factors. 7

STRESS INCONTINENCE If you have just had a baby, your pelvic floor muscles will be stretched to the limit. This means they cannot support the bladder properly. The result is that urine leaks when you cough, sneeze or even laugh too much. 8 YOUR MEDICINE Drugs for high blood pressure dilate your blood vessels. The same drugs also help relax the muscles in the bladder.

9 DIABETES WARNING Urinating more than normal, particularly at night, is a sign of diabetes. Normally the body burns glucose for energy. In diabetes, this glucose builds up in the blood instead, and the body tries to flush out excess glucose.

10 SLOW SYSTEM Constipation can leave you wanting to pass water more. The over-full bowel presses down on the bladder, reducing the amount of urine it can hold. Straining from being constipated also weakens pelvic-floor muscles, so ‘holding on’ to your bladder is harder.