My 11-year-old daughter will sometimes go a couple of weeks without wetting the bed, then turn around and wet the bed again every single night for the next two! It seems like one step forward, two steps back. Why does this happen?
Answer
The unpredictable nature of bedwetting is perhaps the most frustrating and discouraging for the child and their parents. One theory as to the cause of bedwetting includes deep sleep with poor arousal so the child doesn't wake up when the bladder starts to contract. Sleep patterns may vary in an individual from one night to the next.
Another theory is that the nighttime urine production exceeds the bladder capacity. Urine production also varies based on fluid and salt intake as well as the brain's production of a hormone that controls the amount of urine produced. In your daughter's situation, either of these situations may occur and account for the intermittent bedwetting.
Christopher Cooper
Director of Pediatric Urology Children's Hospital of Iowa
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