My husband has started to wet the bed at night. What causes adult bed-wetting? Should we be concerned about this?

Answer From Patricio C. Gargollo, M.D.

Bed-wetting that starts in adulthood (secondary enuresis) is uncommon and requires medical evaluation.

Causes of adult bed-wetting may include:

  • A blockage (obstruction) in part of the urinary tract, such as from a bladder stone or kidney stone
  • Bladder problems, such as small capacity or overactive nerves
  • Diabetes
  • Enlarged prostate
  • Medication side effect
  • Neurological disorders
  • Obstructive sleep apnea
  • Urinary tract infection

Tests and procedures used to determine the cause of adult bed-wetting include:

  • Physical exam
  • Urine tests
  • Urologic tests
  • Neurological evaluation

Treatment of adult bed-wetting is directed at the underlying cause, when possible.

With

Patricio C. Gargollo, M.D.

From Mayo Clinic to your inbox

Sign up for free and stay up to date on research advancements, health tips, current health topics, and expertise on managing health. Click here for an email preview.

To provide you with the most relevant and helpful information, and understand which information is beneficial, we may combine your email and website usage information with other information we have about you. If you are a Mayo Clinic patient, this could include protected health information. If we combine this information with your protected health information, we will treat all of that information as protected health information and will only use or disclose that information as set forth in our notice of privacy practices. You may opt-out of email communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the e-mail.

Jan. 31, 2023 See more Expert Answers

See also

  1. Acetyl-L-carnitine: Can it relieve MS fatigue?
  2. Aging
  3. Bladder botox injection
  4. Bladder control: Lifestyle strategies
  5. Bladder control problems: Medications
  6. Bladder control problems: How to seek treatment
  7. Bladder exstrophy
  8. Bone metastasis
  9. Explaining multiple sclerosis
  10. Cerebral palsy
  11. Cervical spondylosis
  12. Chiari malformation
  13. Coughing more after quitting smoking: What's the deal?
  14. Cystoscopy
  15. Demyelinating disease: What can you do about it?
  16. Diabetic neuropathy
  17. Diabetic neuropathy and dietary supplements
  18. Types of diabetic neuropathy
  19. Dietary fiber
  20. Emerging treatments for multiple sclerosis
  21. Exercise and multiple sclerosis
  22. Glioma
  23. Guillain-Barre syndrome
  24. Kegel exercises
  25. Kegel exercises for men
  26. Multiple sclerosis
  27. Infographic: Multiple Sclerosis
  28. Multiple sclerosis: Can it cause seizures?
  29. What is multiple sclerosis? An expert explains
  30. Multiple sclerosis FAQs
  31. Multiple system atrophy
  32. Overactive bladder
  33. Pelvic floor exercises
  34. Pelvic Mesh Problems
  35. Sciatica
  36. Spinal stenosis
  37. Stress incontinence
  38. Surgery for stress urinary incontinence in women
  39. Symptom Checker
  40. Transverse myelitis
  41. Traumatic brain injury
  42. Ultrasound
  43. Urinalysis
  44. Urinary incontinence
  45. Vaginal atrophy
  46. Vascular dementia
  47. Vitamin D and MS: Any connection?
  48. Vitamins for MS: Do supplements make a difference?