Types of bedwetting

There are two types of bedwetting:

• children who have never been dry for more than a few months at a time have primary enuresis
• children who have been completely dry for more than six months and then start wetting the bed again have secondary enuresis

What causes bedwetting?

There is no universal cause of bedwetting but we know that:

• bedwetting runs in families
• the waking-up response to having a full bladder is not fully developed; your child does not have conscious control over bedwetting
• your child's bladder cannot hold the amount of urine that they produce overnight
• your child's bladder may be twitchy or overactive - this may cause wet pants or urgency (rushing off to the toilet) in the daytime
• fluid restricting in the evening and at night does not stop bedwetting
• constipation can lead to bedwetting
• bedwetting is rarely due to urine infection, disease or child abuse