I am a girl of 18 years and I still bed-wet a lot. I need your advice on this.

Thank you.

Mary (e-mail)

Bed-wetting (Enuresis) is the involuntary passage of urine at night or during sleep. This action may be normal in infants and up till age of two.

However, as the nervous system matures, the body gains control over passage of urine by age 21/2 years. Beyond the age of 3 years, a small percentage of children still bed wet. This is usually addressed to a delay in maturation of bladder control. Although the majority of bed-wetters should be dry by the age of puberty, organic diseases especially infections of the urinary tract as well as some obstructions in the bladder should be suspected in anybody who still bed-wets after age of three years. It is important therefore for you to undergo a thorough medical examination which will establish or rule out all the above medical possibilities. This of course will involve a lot of blood tests and physical examinations. It is therefore advisable for you to involve your parents, guardians or elder siblings in the process.

If nothing organic is found as being responsible for your condition, the attending doctor will then refer you for counseling. This will help to determine and treat any psychological causes of your bed-wetting such as, history of sexual abuse, emotional inadequacy or attention seeking habits.