Few conditions are as misunderstood and mismanaged as nocturnal enuresis, aka bedwetting. Parents are told their child will “outgrow it,” that bedwetting is a “normal part of childhood development” and doesn’t warrant treatment until age 7, 10, or older. Common explanations run the gamut: an underdeveloped bladder, deep sleep, hormone imbalance, a bladder that “hasn’t caught up with the brain,” emotional stress or anxiety. All those explanations are wrong.  

How can you potty train to prevent constipation? What if your 17-year-old is still bedwetting? How do you wean your child off enemas without having accidents return?

My older child has struggled so much with enuresis and encopresis that I would do anything to avoid all that misery with my youngest. What advice do you have to potty training to prevent constipation?

By Steve Hodges, M.D., Here are a few questions recently posted by members of our p rivate enuresis/encopresis support group or emailed...

Goodnites' ad campaign is insidious. It’s designed to “tackle social stigma in a way that is sophisticated and thoughtful,” a worthy aim, to be sure. But what the project actually does is perpetuate medical misinformation and leverage families’ distress for the purpose of selling product.

As a doctor with many teenage bedwetting patients, I have two observations: 1.) Silverman’s story of shame and isolation rings true, and 2.) The Bedwetter, like many movies and TV shows, reinforces damaging myths about bedwetting.

If one child outgrew bedwetting, can you expect the child's sibling to have the same luck? Do enemas clear out the colon or rectum?

Among the most distressed families are those dealing with the “trifecta”: encopresis, daytime enuresis, plus bedwetting.

Will a Miralax clean-out help a child who's clogged with poop? Will bedwetting medication help a 15-year-old? Dr. Hodges answers.

By Steve Hodges, M.D. It's a myth that Ex-Lax is unsafe for children with chronic constipation. Parents often ask me how long children...