How do you know if you have bowel incontinence? It is also referred to as fecal incontinence. It is the accidental leakage of stool or gas. 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.
Overflow incontinence is when you are so constipated your colon and rectum loses capacity to hold anymore waste and it leaks out.
Bowel incontinence can happen only occasionally, or it can become a regular problem. This can lead to significant decreases in quality of life. One might begin resisting social events or even develop symptoms of anxiety and depression. If you are suffering from uncontrolled leakage more frequently, don’t be embarrassed to consult with the top colorectal surgeon in Atlanta at Colorectal Wellness Center, Dr. Erin King-Mullins. 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 chronic medical condition, digestive tract disorder, or injury to the sphincter muscles which can occur during childbirth.
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 a little closer at several common causes.
Diarrhea
We’ve all had a case of the ‘runs’. It’s easier to hold back solid stools, so if the stools are too loose they it may be hard to control
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 or even spinal fractures or injuries that can impact the nerves feeding the sphincter muscles. 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. Also prolonged labor can cause several hours of pressure on the nerves.
Hemorrhoids
Hemorrhoids are swollen veins in the rectum which can aid in keeping the anus from completely closing. This allows feces to leak out. This is a rarer cause.
Rectocele
Rectocele is the thinning/weakening of the wall between the rectum and the vagina. When having a bowel movement, the stool can get trapped in the bulge in the area and then leak later after a bowel movement.
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. The treatment is tied to the cause. To learn more about surgical options to treat fecal incontinence through Medtronic InterStimTM therapy, watch this education webinar with Dr. King-Mullins here: https://youtu.be/OiurVTQM4HM?si=5EXwfzlxRteIqn4r
If you are experiencing bowel incontinence, contact our colorectal surgeon serving Atlanta, Fayetteville, Peachtree City, and all surrounding communities at Colorectal Wellness Center (770) 325-2275 for a diagnosis and to discuss your treatment options.