Primary bedwetting is where a child suffers from extended periods of bedwetting without any lengthy dry periods in between. If your child has a medically assisted dry period this does not count and the child is still considered to have primary bedwetting. What causes primary bedwetting remains unclear and there are a variety of different possibilities. What causes primary bedwetting is different from person to person so similarly the most effective treatments for bedwetting can also vary from person to person.
What causes primary bedwetting is suspected to be genetics. The most common factor in primary bedwetting is the presence of a parent who suffered from bedwetting themselves. If a child has a parent who suffered from bedwetting the chances are 40% that they will too, this number is increased to 70% if both parents suffered form bed wetting in the past. More specifically what causes primary bedwetting is an inability to reduce the amount of urine produced in the body over night. This is normally regulated by the hormone ADH which can also become unbalanced during teenage years causing teenage bedwetting. Another cause is the inability to feel when the bladder is full whilst asleep and therefore the child cannot wake up to urinate when needed. Both of these causes will pass with time as the child develops their bladder strength and the proper hormone levels to reduce urine production at night.
What causes primary bedwetting will vary depending on the individual but it could also be an underlying medical condition, make sure you see the doctor first to rule out this possibility.
