Hi Michelle, it’s lovely to hear from you. Bedwetting has a number of underlying causes. The most common cause of bedwetting is a neurological-developmental delay. Children who fall under this category have a nervous system that is slow to process the feeling of a full bladder consequently they do not wake up in time to go to the toilet. A small number of children wet the bed do so because they do not produce enough of the anti-diuretic hormone ADH. If nighttime ADH levels are low, your son will produce the same amount of urine at night as he produces throughout the day placing significant pressure on his bladder and resulting in him wetting the bed. If this is the cause, children will continue to wet the bed at night until their body begins to produce more of this hormone. A very small percentage of children who wet the bed (less than 10%), do so because of a smaller than normal bladder. These children typically need to use the toilet more regularly throughout the day as well as night. This form of incontinence often rectifies itself once the bladder grows. While bedwetting is considered to be very normal up to the age of 6 or 7 years of age it is always a good idea to have your son checked by his GP just to rule out any underlying medical cause.

Regards,
Dr Cathrine

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