One of my symptoms of B12 deficiency was bladder incontinence, I had to keep going to the loo and there was no let up during the small hours either.

Thankfully this was one of my symptoms which corrected within the first weeks of regular B12 injections. Had I not realised I was B12 deficient, I may have believed it was due to my age or my shoe size or my eye colour and perhaps even ‘perfectly normal’. Some of us have difficulty seeking help for incontinence and see it as something to ‘put up with’ rather than something that could and should be treated.

Each time I see TV adverts for companies selling incontinence pads (or those weird ‘pretty??!’ crepe britches) showing young women stating that incontinence is ‘perfectly normal’ I’ll ask the telly, “what if it’s caused by B12 deficiency?”

Apparently 1 in 3 women experience bladder leaks, this is a massive number, some of whom might potentially be in need of B12 but may be unaware of low B12 being a cause.

This report from the BBC shows that the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has issues with these adverts. They criticised TENA for not highlighting to mothers that treatment for the condition is available.

The RCN said: “Incontinence is known to be under reported due to the embarrassment experienced by women living with the condition.

Female incontinence
As you’ll see from the information on the NHS link below, there are a few causes for bladder incontinence related to the pelvic floor muscles, and although they do list ‘neurological conditions that affect the brain and spinal cord such as Parkinson’s disease or multiple sclerosis’  –  just think how helpful it would be if they could alert people by adding B12 deficiency to this list?

• damage during childbirth – particularly if your baby was born vaginally, rather than by caesarean section
• increased pressure on your tummy – for example, because you are pregnant or obese
• damage to the bladder or nearby area during surgery – such as the removal of the womb (hysterectomy), or removal of the prostate gland
• neurological conditions that affect the brain and spinal cord, such as Parkinson’s disease or multiple sclerosis
• certain connective tissue disorders such as Ehlers-Danlos syndrome
• certain medicines

Male Incontinence
Men also experience incontinence and it’s no surprise that they are even worse than women for talking about it or seeking help. Naturally there are some different causes listed for males (please see below), but would it be on the radar of the GP to test for B12 deficiency even if the subject of incontinence arose at an appointment?

• chronic cough
• constipation
• obesity
• bladder or urinary tract infections
• an obstruction in the urinary tract
• weak pelvic floor or bladder muscles
• loss of sphincter strength
• nerve damage
• enlarged prostate
• prostate cancer
• neurological disorders, which can interfere with bladder control signals

Other lifestyle factors that may lead to UI include:

• smoking
• drinking
• not being physically active