Medical Causes of Bed-WettingSkip to the navigation
Medical conditions may cause a child to begin wetting the bed after a period of time in which he or she has had bladder control (secondary nocturnal enuresis).
Some medical conditions that may cause bed-wetting include:
- Diabetes, especially if the child is urinating more often than normal and/or is more thirsty than normal.
- Bladder or kidney infections (urinary tract infections), especially if the child is urinating more often than normal and/or complains of pain when urinating. The child may also have accidental wettings or may leak urine (have damp underpants) during the day.
- Constipation, especially if the child complains of abdominal (belly) pain and has large, hard stools or watery stool leaking from the bowel. Children who have stool less frequently than every 2 days may need to be checked for constipation.
- Bladder stones (calculi), especially if the child has a weak urine stream and complains of pain.
activity of the bladder muscle, especially if the child:
- Urinates more often than normal (frequency).
- Cannot hold urine when the urge to urinate occurs (urgency).
- Has leakage of urine.
- Has pain while urinating.
- Allergy to bubble bath or soap, especially in young girls. The symptoms may include belly pain, vaginal burning, and redness of the genital area.
- Infection of the vagina, especially if the girl has discharge from the vagina.
- Side effect of medicine.
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Primary Medical Reviewer Susan C. Kim, MD - Pediatrics
Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine
Specialist Medical Reviewer Martin J. Gabica, MD - Family Medicine
Current as ofJuly 26, 2016
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