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Understanding the clinical and anatomical terminology behind bladder leakage and menstrual health is essential for developing, positioning and marketing absorbent hygiene products accurately. This glossary covers the terms most relevant to incontinence, period care and postpartum product categories.
Absorbent underwear
Ordinary-looking underwear with an absorbent panel built in to catch and retain leaks. Reusable absorbent underwear has become an established product category for managing both light-to-moderate incontinence and menstruation, offering brands a sustainable alternative to single-use formats.
Adult diapers
Garments designed to be worn by adults with incontinence, sized larger than children’s diapers. Adult diapers are necessary for some medical conditions and are also referred to as nappies. Terminology varies across the category, with some brands somewhat misleadingly describing single-use, non-washable products as ‘underwear’ or ‘briefs’.
Bladder
The bladder is an organ in the urinary tract that collects urine from the kidneys via the ureters and stores it before expelling it from the body via the urethra. A typical human bladder can collect 300 to 500ml (10 to 17 fl oz) of urine before the urge to urinate occurs.
Bladder infection
A bladder infection is a type of urinary tract infection (UTI). Women have a higher risk than men of contracting bladder infections, and some people can be at greater risk than others. Some infections do not have any symptoms. Symptoms include frequent urge to urinate and painful burning when urinating.
Bladder leakage
Another term for urinary incontinence, or difficulty controlling the bladder, which can result in an involuntary loss of urine.
Blood in the urine
Also known as hematuria, blood in the urine can be caused by a number of disorders, including infections, stones in the urinary tract and cancer. It may be visible to the naked eye or visible only under a microscope, and can be accompanied by pain in some cases.
Cystoscopy
A cystoscopy is a procedure during which a lighted optical instrument is inserted through the urethra into the bladder.
Enuresis
Involuntary loss of urine is known as enuresis. Enuresis that occurs at night while asleep is known as nocturnal enuresis or bedwetting.
Functional incontinence
Functional incontinence is when an individual has control over their urination and a fully functional urinary tract, but cannot get to a bathroom in time due to a physical or cognitive disability. It can be caused by conditions such as arthritis, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease.
Incontinence
Incontinence is the inability to hold urine in the bladder, keep faeces in the rectum or control excretions.
Incontinence pads
Single-use incontinence pads for women are similar in appearance to sanitary pads, but designed for urinary incontinence. They hold significantly more liquid than period pads, since urine is less viscous and tends to be released in larger spurts than menstrual blood. Incontinence pads for men are commonly called shields or guards and are shaped to fit inside the pouch of a man’s underwear, typically with an adhesive layer and a plastic outer layer to prevent leaks.
Kegel exercises
Kegel exercises are designed to strengthen and increase elasticity in the pelvic floor muscles of women and men, and are often recommended as a treatment for urinary incontinence.
Kidneys
These bean-shaped organs in the renal tract regulate blood pressure, produce hormones, filter the blood and remove waste products and fluids from the body in the form of urine.
Lochia
The heavy vaginal bleeding women experience after childbirth is called lochia or postpartum bleeding. A combination of blood, uterine tissue and mucus, it typically varies in colour from bright red at first to brown or pink after about a week, tailing off after about six weeks.
Menopause
Menopause is the time in a woman’s life when menstruation stops permanently, defined as 12 consecutive months without a period, and caused by the ovaries naturally decreasing production of estrogen and progesterone. It usually occurs around age 50, with significant variation from the 30s through the 60s.
Menorrhagia
The medical term for abnormally heavy or prolonged menstrual bleeding, defined clinically as soaking one or more sanitary products every hour for several hours, needing to change protection overnight, or periods lasting longer than a week.
Menstruation
Also known as a period, menstruation is normal vaginal bleeding that occurs approximately monthly for most women, as the uterine lining sheds over three to five days if fertilisation does not occur. Most women experience their first period between ages eleven and fourteen, continuing until menopause.
Micturition
Micturition is another term for the act of passing urine.
Muscle contraction
The tightening and shortening of a muscle.
Nocturia
The condition of excessive urination at night, causing sleep loss. Nocturia can be a sign of an underlying condition such as diabetes, urinary infection or pregnancy.
Nocturnal enuresis
An involuntary loss of urine while asleep.
Oestrogen
A female hormone produced by the ovaries, and in small amounts by the adrenal cortex, placenta and male testes. Oestrogen guides sexual development and influences menstruation, lactation, mood and the aging process. Production varies across the female lifespan, reaching adult levels during puberty and decreasing during menopause.
Overactive bladder
Occurs when the muscular wall of the bladder suddenly and involuntarily contracts, causing an immediate, unstoppable urge to urinate. It is the cause of urge incontinence. Treatments include pelvic floor muscle strengthening, behavioural therapy and prescribed medications.
Overflow incontinence
Occurs when the bladder does not completely empty during urination, leading to frequent leakage. Causes include obstruction of the bladder, lack of proper bladder contraction, certain medications, spinal injury, diabetes and multiple sclerosis.
Pelvic floor exercises
Also known as kegels, these exercises involve contraction and relaxation of the pelvic floor muscles to strengthen urethral closure pressure, and are among the most common treatments for urinary incontinence.
Pelvic floor muscles
The pelvic floor muscles form a sling between the legs, extending from the pubic bone to the base of the spine. Weakness in these muscles can lead to incontinence.
Perimenopause
The transition between the first changes of menopause and menopause itself, typically taking place over several years and marked by fluctuating ovarian hormone levels.
Physical therapy
A type of rehabilitative healthcare using specially designed exercises and equipment to regain or improve physical abilities.
Post-micturition dribble
An involuntary loss of urine immediately after urination, more common in men and caused by weak pelvic floor muscles.
Prostate
A gland in the male reproductive system located just below the bladder, shaped like a chestnut, surrounding the beginning of the urethra.
Reflex incontinence
Loss of bladder control without warning, usually caused by neurological impairment that prevents the brain from recognising a full bladder – for example, from spinal cord injuries or surgical damage.
Stress incontinence
Bladder leakage triggered by pressure on the abdomen during activities such as exercising, sneezing or coughing. Often caused by weakened pelvic floor muscles, and particularly common in women after childbirth.
Underactive bladder
A bladder that holds more urine than normal, prone to small leaks when full.
Ureters
Tubes that transport urine from the kidneys to the bladder.
Urethra
The tube that transports urine from the bladder for discharge outside the body. In men, the urethra travels through the penis, whereas in women, it is much shorter and emerges above the vaginal opening.
Urethral sphincter
A muscular mechanism controlling the retention and release of urine from the bladder. The internal sphincter is involuntary, while the external sphincter (part of the urogenital diaphragm) is under voluntary control.
Urethritis
Inflammation of the urethra, which can be caused by irritation, infection or sexually transmitted diseases.
Urge incontinence
A sudden, involuntary contraction of the bladder causing an overwhelming, uncontrollable urge to urinate, often resulting in leakage before reaching a toilet. Treatment can include pelvic floor exercises, behavioural therapy and medication.
Urinalysis
A test used to analyse urine, detecting conditions such as diabetes, kidney disease and gout.
Urinary incontinence
Involuntary loss of urine due to an inability to hold urine in the bladder. Includes several subtypes, including stress and urge incontinence, with treatment varying by type and cause.
Urinary tract
The organs that produce, store and discharge urine, including the kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra.
Urinary tract infection
An infection of any organ in the urinary tract, usually resulting in a frequent urge to urinate and pain when urinating. More common in females than males, they can result in short-term urinary incontinence.
Urinary urgency
An immediate, unstoppable urge to urinate, caused by sudden involuntary contraction of the bladder wall muscle.
Key takeaways
- Accurate terminology underpins credible product development, marketing claims and regulatory communication across the incontinence and period-care categories.
- This glossary is maintained as a reference for private label partners developing absorbent hygiene products across these categories.
Read about the French Decree 2026-288
About the author
Frantisek Riha-Scott, Founder and CEO, Confitex Technology
As the tech leader in reusable personal hygiene since 2013, Confitex designs and manufactures award-winning washable period and incontinence products for leading retail, pharmacy and healthcare brands worldwide. Frantisek has spent more than a decade working at the intersection of fashion design, textile engineering and absorbent hygiene manufacturing, and has worked directly with independent laboratories to shape emerging industry performance standards for reusable absorbent hygiene. He writes to help pharmacy category managers, hygiene buyers, purchasing directors and procurement leaders cut through the regulatory complexity and make supplier decisions with confidence. Connect with Frantisek on LinkedIn.
