Are you struggling with accidental soiling?

Ask your doctor about treatment options for Faecal incontinence.

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Are you struggling with accidental soiling?

Faecal incontinence can cause unexpected bowel leakage, urgency, or difficulty controlling bowel movements. Understanding your symptoms is the first step toward finding support.

What is Faecal Incontinence?

Faecal incontinence, otherwise known as “bowel” incontinence, is an inability to control bowel movements, resulting in involuntary loss of stool. For some people, symptoms may involve occasional leakage, while others may experience a sudden urgency to open their bowels and difficulty reaching the bathroom in time. Faecal incontinence may also include difficulty controlling wind or noticing staining or soiling in underwear.

Faecal incontinence is more common than many people realise and can affect people of different ages and backgrounds. Although it can feel embarrassing to talk about, faecal incontinence is a recognised medical condition and support is available. Understanding your symptoms is an important first step toward learning more about the condition and exploring ways to help manage its impact on daily life.

Bowel Incontinence

1 in 20

Australians live with bowel incontinence¹³

Do you lose control of your bowels and suffer from bowel accidents?

Is fear of an accident preventing you from doing the things you want to do? The symptoms of bowel incontinence can vary from person to person, as well as the frequency of accidents. Some people may experience bowel incontinence daily, while others only have accidents from time to time. The severity and frequency of symptoms can vary depending on the underlying cause and individual circumstances.

Faecal incontinence can happen when the muscles, nerves, or structures involved in bowel control are not working properly. This may affect the body’s ability to recognise when the bowel is full or prevent the rectum and sphincter muscles from holding stool effectively.

Symptoms of Bowel Incontinence may include:

Feeling a sudden need to pass stool is called Faecal Urgency
Urgency Bowel Incontinence is the inability to stop the urge to pass stool, resulting in an accident
People who experience no sensation before soiling themselves suffer from Passive Bowel Incontinence

Common causes of Bowel Incontinence include:

Problems with the rectum being unable to retain stool properly
Problems with the sphincter muscles not being able to close properly due to weakening or stretching of the muscles
Nerve damage, which may interfere with your body being aware there is stool in your rectum, or may lead to difficulty controlling your sphincter muscles

Explore Faecal Incontinence treatments

A middle-aged couple sits closely together on a comfortable sofa, looking at a digital tablet in their hands.

How does Bowel Incontinence affect daily life?

Bowel incontinence can cause considerable stress and have a negative impact on quality of life¹⁹. Faecal Incontinence can significantly compromise patients' health-related quality of life, contributing to physical discomfort and psychological distress.¹⁴ Individuals living with FI often experience embarrassment, diminished self-esteem, stigma, and social isolation¹⁵Symptoms can get in the way of work, social life, exercise and sleep.

Bowel incontinence is not a normal part of aging; it’s important to know that there are clinically-proven²² treatments available to help you manage your symptoms.

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References:

13. Continence Health Australia. Understanding Incontinence. https://www.continence.org.au/incontinence/understanding-incontinence.

14. Assmann S, Kimman M, Breukink S, and Keszthelyi D. The Burden of Fecal Incontinence: Evaluating the Societal Impact in Terms of Economic Burden and Health-Related Quality of Life. Neurogastroenterology & Motility. 2025; 37: e70036.

15. Ibid.

19. Bulkamid Patient Information Leaflet 2021 OUS 110-0256-003rB 06/2021

22. Pezzella A, McCrery R, Lane F, et al. Two-year outcomes of the ARTISAN-SNM study for the treatment of urinary urgency incontinence using the Axonics rechargeable sacral neuromodulation system. Neurourol Urodyn. 2021;40(2):714-721. doi:10.1002/nau.24615

Disclaimer and endnotes:

Results from case studies are not necessarily predictive of results in other cases. Results in other cases may vary.

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Individual symptoms, situations, circumstances and results may vary. This quiz is meant for information purposes only, it is not intended to be used for medical diagnosis or treatment or as a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult your doctor or qualified healthcare provider regarding your condition and appropriate medical treatment. This site is intended for Australian residents only. Please review the Boston Scientific Privacy Policy, for practices on the collection, storage, use and disclosure of your personal information.

Content of videos are for Information Purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. BSC strongly recommends that you consult with your physician on all matters pertaining to your health or to address any questions.

The Axonics SNM system is not a first-line treatment. Surgery is required for use of Axonics SNM system, and any surgical procedure carries risk. Outcomes vary for each patient. Patients should consult their healthcare professional about factors that could impact response.

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