[Pathophysiology of female incontinence].

In the last 100 years many different theories have tried to explain the symptoms and causes of urinary incontinence in the female. Urinary incontinence is a debilitating condition and not only leads to medical problems and costs, but is associated with embarrassment that can lead to isolation and loss of independence. Women with stress urinary incontinence can have both urethral support loss and decreased urethral function. Aging and delivery can lead to multiple damages which can be manifest either as loss of support with symptoms of prolaps or incontinence. This paper provides an overview of the functional anatomy of the structures responsible for controlling urinary continence under stress and discusses some of the theories on incontinence.