Having a child who experiences nighttime enuresis, or bedwetting, can be challenging.You may find yourself confused, frustrated or both. The key to helping your child through it is to know as much as you can about the condition. This pop quiz will test your knowledge about bedwetting and teach you even more along the way!
1. Who is more likely to experience nighttime bedwetting? A) Boys
B) Girls
The correct answer is A. About two thirds of the five to seven million children in the United States who wet the bed are boys.
2. In most cases, bedwetting is caused by: A) Drinking too much liquid before bedtime.
B) A child's laziness.
C) Physical reasons such as an immature bladder, low ADH hormone production at night or deep sleeping.
The correct answer is C. All these physical reasons are often causes of bedwetting.
"It may take longer for some children to develop bladder control at night, but it is important for the parents to be reassured that the bladder training process is based on maturation, growth and development," says Jennifer Lusk, a nurse practitioner for Texas Children's Hospital Urology Clinic. "It takes the body time before adult-type voiding patterns are able to be established."
3. Ninety-nine percent of all bedwetting ceases by what age?
A) 7
B) 15
C) 19
The correct answer is B. Seventy-two percent of kids who wet the bed will outgrow it by the time they're 11, and 99 percent of kids will outgrow it by age 15
4. Heredity can play a large part in bedwetting. A) True
B) False
The correct answer is A. Family history often plays a large part in bedwetting.
"If one parent had bedwetting until an older age, the child has a 30 percent chance of wetting," says Lusk. "If both parents were wetters, the child will have a 70 percent chance of being a wetter."
5. Constipation can be linked to bedwetting. A) True
B) False
The answer is A. There is a correlation between bladder and bowel dysfunction because the maturation and development of excretory control overlaps both systems.
"Constipation can have an effect on bladder function," says Lusk. "If there are significant constipation issues along with wetting, and the constipation is not dealt with or resolved, then there is probably not going to be any improvement with the nighttime or daytime wetting. Because of the way the bowel and bladder are situated within the abdominal cavity, an increased amount of stool can put pressure on the bladder. This pressure can prevent the bladder from filling all of the way, it can cause incomplete emptying of the bladder and can even cause some contractions to occur, all of which can cause bladder dysfunction."
6. What is the percentage of 5- to 10-year-olds who wet the bed? A) 3 percent
B) 20 percent
C) 10 percent
The correct answer is B. Twenty percent of 5- to 10-year-olds wet the bed.
7. Urinary tract infections can play a part in bedwetting. A) True
B) False
The answer is A. A urinary tract infection can cause problems with bladder control, so it's important that parents consult their primary health care provider concerning the situation. If an infection is present, the bladder can have contractions, which can cause bladder instability, leaking and/or loss of control.
8. What is the best method of managing your 5-year-old's bedwetting? A) Enuresis alarms
B) Wait and see
C) Behavior modification
The correct answer is B. "Usually by the time that a child is 6 years old, there has been maturation of the bladder and bowel, and most children will have stopped wetting the bed," says Lusk. "At my clinic, we do not like to see a child for enuresis until they are at least 6 years old."
Behavior modification is the next preferred method. Limiting fluid intake and waking your child to go to the bathroom can be used with some success, but experts agree that the best method for managing a young child's bedwetting is just waiting for physical maturation. In the meantime, absorbent underpants can help keep your child and your child's bedding dry.
9. The use of absorbent undergarments does not prolong bedwetting.
A) True
B) False
The correct answer is A. Absorbent undergarments do not prolong bedwetting. "Almost all children with enuresis (bedwetting) have a family member who suffered with it, and bedwetting predictably goes away at about the same age as it did for those other family members," says Dr. David Fay, a family physician with Waukesha Family Practice Residency Program and expert adviser for iParenting.com. "In my opinion, special underwear has no relation to when children will begin to stay dry."
