What Causes Adult Bedwetting?

A Keck Medicine of USC urologist and urogynecologist defines enuresis, also known as bedwetting.

“Enuresis in adults is more common than people think,” says David Ginsberg, MD, a urologist and urogynecologist with USC Urology, part of Keck Medicine of USC.

“Causes include urinary tract infection and sleep apnea, but the most common cause is overactive bladder.”

Overactive bladder (OAB) is a clinical syndrome that often leads to frequent urination and a sudden, uncontrolled need or urge to urinate (often associated with what urologists call “urge incontinence”).

People may sleep through the need to urinate, resulting in enuresis.

While OAB can happen to anyone, women are more likely to have urinary leakage because they don’t have prostates to block the flow of urine. Older women are more likely to be affected, but young women and teens can also have this condition.

“I would urge anyone bothered by enuresis or overactive bladder to see a doctor,” Dr. Ginsberg says. “We have many options to evaluate, treat and improve these symptoms.”

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