What term describes the inability to maintain control over urination?

The term that describes the inability to maintain control over urination is incontinence. This condition refers to a loss of voluntary control over urination, leading to accidental leakage of urine. It can manifest in various forms, including stress incontinence, urge incontinence, and overflow incontinence, among others. Understanding incontinence is crucial for effective management and patient care, as it can significantly impact a person's quality of life and may be associated with underlying medical conditions or age-related factors.

Other terms listed have specific meanings that are distinctly different from incontinence. Nocturia refers to the need to wake up during the night to urinate, which is not an involuntary loss of urine. Polyuria describes the condition of excreting an abnormally large volume of urine, generally associated with conditions like diabetes. Urgency, on the other hand, is the sudden and strong desire to urinate but does not necessarily imply an involuntary loss of control. Therefore, incontinence is the correct term to describe the inability to control urination effectively.