Skip to main content
About the Institute
  • English
  • Français
  • Español
  • Russian
  • Portuguese
  • Polish

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. My microbiota as a woman
  3. Links between vaginal microbiota and urinary incontinence?
  • Learn all about microbiota
    • The gut microbiota
    • The ENT microbiota
    • The pulmonary microbiota
    • The urinary microbiota
    • The skin microbiota
    • The vaginal microbiota
  • Microbiota and related conditions
    • Digestive disorders
    • Women disorders
    • Metabolic disorders
    • Skin disorders
    • Pediatric disorders
    • Psychiatric disorders
    • Neurological disorders
    • Respiratory disorders
    • Urinary disorders
  • Act on your microbiota
    • Probiotics
    • Prebiotics
    • Fecal Microbiota Transplant
    • Diet
  • Publications
    • News
    • Thematics folders
    • Thematic pages
    • Microbiota Q & A
    • Patients Stories
    • Experts' point of view
  • About the Institute
    • About us
    • International Microbiota Observatory
    • Press room
    • Partnerships

    Join the microbiota community

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    • Bluesky

Healthcare professionals section

Find here your dedicated section
Biocodex logo
The power of your gut
My microbiota as a woman
Our marvelous microbiota

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. My microbiota as a woman
  3. Links between vaginal microbiota and urinary incontinence?
My microbiota as a woman

Links between vaginal microbiota and urinary incontinence?

Incontinence
The vaginal microbiota The urinary microbiota

Common strategies to deal with stress urinary incontinence include exercises (to build up a weak perineum) and urinary pads (to absorb leaks). Perhaps one day probiotics may also play a role.

The power of your gut
My microbiota as a woman
Our marvelous microbiota
  • Learn all about microbiota
    • The gut microbiota
    • The ENT microbiota
    • The pulmonary microbiota
    • The urinary microbiota
    • The skin microbiota
    • The vaginal microbiota
  • Microbiota and related conditions
    • Digestive disorders
    • Women disorders
    • Metabolic disorders
    • Skin disorders
    • Pediatric disorders
    • Psychiatric disorders
    • Neurological disorders
    • Respiratory disorders
    • Urinary disorders
  • Act on your microbiota
    • Probiotics
    • Prebiotics
    • Fecal Microbiota Transplant
    • Diet
  • Publications
    • News
    • Thematics folders
    • Thematic pages
    • Microbiota Q & A
    • Patients Stories
    • Experts' point of view
  • About the Institute
    • About us
    • International Microbiota Observatory
    • Press room
    • Partnerships

    Join the microbiota community

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    • Bluesky

Healthcare professionals section

Find here your dedicated section
Biocodex logo

Sources

This article is based on scientific information

Sharing is caring

Your friends might be interested in this topic. Why not share it?

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Mail

About this article

Created 26 June 2024
Updated 11 December 2024

Often considered taboo, urinary stress incontinence affects somewhere between 1 in 5 or 1 in 3 women, depending on the study. Motherhood and age increase the risk of these uncontrolled leaks, which can occur when lifting a full shopping bag, coughing, jumping, sneezing, or even laughing. Two mechanisms have traditionally been implicated: a weakening of the perineum (the muscular “hammock” which holds back the urogenital organs), particularly during pregnancy, and a weak urinary sphincter, the ring-shaped muscle that opens or closes the urethra, through which the bladder empties. According to a Chinese study 1 published in 2024, the vaginal microbiota may also play a role.

Types of urinary incontinence

There are three major types of urinary incontinence: 2,3 

  • stress urinary incontinence;
  • urge urinary incontinence, where leakage is preceded by a very pressing urge to urinate;
  • mixed incontinence, which combines both symptoms.

Two rarer types of urinary incontinence also exist: 2,3 

  • overflow incontinence (small loss of urine due to an overfull bladder);
  • functional incontinence, which results from a mental or physical incapacity unrelated to the control of urination (Alzheimer’s disease, where the need to urinate is not recognized and/or the location of the toilet forgotten).

Incontinence linked to vaginal dysbiosis

The study shows that 84.5% of young mothers suffering from urinary incontinence present a vaginal microbiota imbalance, compared with 42.1% of mothers not suffering from urinary incontinence. Instead of a healthy vaginal flora where Lactobacillus dominates, the vast majority of young mothers suffering from incontinence present a vaginal flora in which Gardnerella, Streptococcus, Prevotella, Dialister, and Veillonella hold more ground.

02.08.2021 The urinary microbiota Read more

Careful readers will ask what connects the vaginal flora to urinary leakage (i.e. to the urinary flora). The answer is simple: the anatomical proximity between the urethral and vaginal orifices. These two regions are separated by just a few millimeters, facilitating close relations between their microbiomes. In fact, previous studies have repeatedly shown the existence of links between vaginal bacteria and urogenital diseases, i.e. diseases of the urinary and/or vaginal system.

30% vs. 15% Many elderly people are affected by urinary incontinence, especially women: 30% of elderly women and 15% of elderly men suffer from urinary incontinence.

18% to 34% Stress urinary incontinence is widespread among post-partum and older women, with a prevalence of 18% to 34% depending on the study.

Source:
MSD Manual

An overly interconnected vaginal microbiota?

Now back to the subject of bacteria in women suffering from post-partum urinary incontinence. Another characteristic of these women’s flora is a hyper-interconnectedness between the microorganisms inhabiting their vagina. In other words, a highly developed network of relationships between the various microorganisms. This is not a good sign: in general, microbiota with a high degree of interconnectedness are considered less stable and therefore more susceptible to imbalance and dysbiosis.

In conclusion, the authors believe this study points to a possible link between an unstable vaginal microbiota and stress urinary incontinence. However, nothing clearly shows the former causes the latter: the moisture created by leakage may modify the flora, or both the modified flora and incontinence may be two visible consequences of a yet undiscovered phenomenon.

The vaginal microbiota

Learn more
Sources

1. Zhang M, Zhou Y, Yao S et al. Effect of stress urinary incontinence on vaginal microbial communities. BMC Microbiol. 2024 Apr 4;24(1):112.

2. https://www.msdmanuals.com/home/kidney-and-urinary-tract-disorders/disorders-of-urination/urinary-incontinence-in-adults

3. https://www.urofrance.org/patient/symptomes/incontinence-urinaire-fuites-durine/

Tags
Incontinence Vaginal microbiota Probiotics Pregnancy Dysbiosis Urinary system Microbiome Flora

    See also

    Urinary tract infections: breaking the vicious circle
    Urinary tract infections: cranberries could act directly on the gut microbiota
    Created 26 June 2024
    Updated 11 December 2024

    About this article

    To know more about this topic.

    Main topic

    Incontinence

    Related microbiotas

    The vaginal microbiota

    Related topics

    The urinary microbiota
    My microbiota as a woman

    Microbiotalk : short conferences on antimicrobial resistance

    Breaking the silence: a global conversation on antimicrobial resistance Antimicrobial resistance (AM...

    Find out more

    The vaginal microbiota

    The vaginal microbiota: how to take care of it? Hundreds of bacteria populate the vagina.1 Let’s see...

    Find out more

    The gut microbiota

    Gut microbiota: why is it that important for your health? We have trillions1 of bacteria that po...

    Find out more

    Fecal transplant

    Fecal transplant involves introducing a healthy person’s stool into a patient’s digestive tract in or...

    Find out more

    Are certain women predisposed to STIs?

    Several epidemiological studies have found a correlation between bacterial vaginosis, vulvovaginal ca...

    Find out more

    Prebiotics: what you need to know

    With just one different letter separating prebiotics and probiotics, no wonder they get confused! To ...

    Find out more

    Probiotics

    Probiotics: essential information for understanding and choosing them correctly. What exactly are pro...

    Find out more

    Is bacterial vaginosis a disease?

    Vaginal microbiota plays an essential role in women’s health. It is mainly composed of lactobacilli, ...

    Find out more

    Latest news

    News
    Allergies : et si tout venait du microbiote ?
    28.03.2023

    Allergies: and what if it all started with the microbiota?

    Read the article
    Photo LP: Infertilité : des bactéries et des virus vaginaux co-impliqués
    01.04.2025

    Infertility: vaginal bacteria and viruses both implicated

    Read the article
    11.05.2021

    Dust microbiota from the city or the countryside? Atopic dermatitis has a preference!

    Read the article
    Actu GP : Vaginose bactérienne : les hommes seraient-ils impliqués ?
    24.11.2020

    Are men involved in bacterial vaginosis?

    Read the article
    30.12.2024

    Female anatomy, microbiotas and intimate hygiene

    Read the article
    Periods & vaginal microbiota: Science in progress…
    11.01.2023

    Periods & vaginal microbiota: Science in progress…

    Read the article
    31.01.2025

    When bacteria signal the presence of endometriosis

    Read the article
    04.02.2020

    Urinary tract infections: cranberries could act directly on the gut microbiota

    Read the article
    • Learn all about microbiota
      • The gut microbiota
      • The ENT microbiota
      • The pulmonary microbiota
      • The urinary microbiota
      • The skin microbiota
      • The vaginal microbiota
    • Microbiota and related conditions
      • Digestive disorders
      • Women disorders
      • Metabolic disorders
      • Skin disorders
      • Pediatric disorders
      • Psychiatric disorders
      • Neurological disorders
      • Respiratory disorders
      • Urinary disorders
    • Act on your microbiota
      • Probiotics
      • Prebiotics
      • Fecal Microbiota Transplant
      • Diet
    • Publications
      • News
      • Thematics folders
      • Thematic pages
      • Microbiota Q & A
      • Patients Stories
      • Experts' point of view
    • About the Institute
      • About us
      • International Microbiota Observatory
      • Press room
      • Partnerships

      Join the microbiota community

      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • LinkedIn
      • YouTube
      • Instagram
      • Bluesky

    Healthcare professionals section

    Find here your dedicated section
    Biocodex logo
    The power of your gut
    My microbiota as a woman
    Our marvelous microbiota
    • English
    • Français
    • Español
    • Russian
    • Portuguese
    • Polish

    Browse the site

    • Learn all about microbiota
      • The gut microbiota
      • The ENT microbiota
      • The pulmonary microbiota
      • The urinary microbiota
      • The skin microbiota
      • The vaginal microbiota
    • Microbiota and related conditions
      • Digestive disorders
      • Women disorders
      • Metabolic disorders
      • Skin disorders
      • Pediatric disorders
      • Psychiatric disorders
      • Neurological disorders
      • Respiratory disorders
      • Urinary disorders
    • Act on your microbiota
      • Probiotics
      • Prebiotics
      • Fecal Microbiota Transplant
      • Diet
    • Publications
      • News
      • Thematics folders
      • Thematic pages
      • Microbiota Q & A
      • Patients Stories
      • Experts' point of view
    • About the Institute
      • About us
      • International Microbiota Observatory
      • Press room
      • Partnerships

      Join the microbiota community

      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • LinkedIn
      • YouTube
      • Instagram
      • Bluesky

    Healthcare professionals section

    Find here your dedicated section
    Biocodex logo

    Discover

    The power of your gut
    My microbiota as a woman
    Our marvelous microbiota

    Join the microbiota community

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    • Bluesky

    Healthcare professionals section

    Find here your dedicated section

    Redirection

    You are about to be redirected and leave our website

    • Be redirected
    • Stay on the Biocodex Microbiota Institute's website

    Stay with us !

    Join the microbiota community and receive "The Essentials" once a month to stay up to date with the latest news on the microbiota.

    * Mandatory Fields

    BMI 20-35

    Explore

    13.05.2025

    When sodas harm your microbiota and your health

    Read the article
    07.05.2025

    Downside of fruit and vegetable juices for gut health

    Read the article
    Photo LP: Sensibles à l’E466 ? Votre microbiote a son mot à dire
    15.04.2025

    Sensitive to E466? Your microbiota plays a role

    Read the article

    Stay updated

    Join the Microbiota Community and receive once a month “The Essential” to stay up to date on the latest news about microbiota.

    * Mandatory Fields

    BMI 20-35

    • Learn all about microbiota
      • The gut microbiota
      • The ENT microbiota
      • The pulmonary microbiota
      • The urinary microbiota
      • The skin microbiota
      • The vaginal microbiota
    • Microbiota and related conditions
      • Digestive disorders
      • Women disorders
      • Metabolic disorders
      • Skin disorders
      • Pediatric disorders
      • Psychiatric disorders
      • Neurological disorders
      • Respiratory disorders
      • Urinary disorders
    • Act on your microbiota
      • Probiotics
      • Prebiotics
      • Fecal Microbiota Transplant
      • Diet
    • Publications
      • News
      • Thematics folders
      • Thematic pages
      • Microbiota Q & A
      • Patients Stories
      • Experts' point of view
    • About the Institute
      • About us
      • International Microbiota Observatory
      • Press room
      • Partnerships

      Join the microbiota community

      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • LinkedIn
      • YouTube
      • Instagram
      • Bluesky

    Healthcare professionals section

    Find here your dedicated section
    Biocodex logo

    Discover

    The power of your gut
    My microbiota as a woman
    Our marvelous microbiota

    Healthcare professionals section

    Find here your dedicated section

    Join the microbiota community

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    • Bluesky

    © 2025 Biocodex. All rights reserved.

    • Legal notice
    • GTU
    • Data protection policy
    • Sitemap
    • Cookies settings
    • Digital accessibility : partially compliant
    Biocodex logo