Rubber Incontinence Pants: Pros, Cons and Alternatives

If you suffer from urinary incontinence, you may be searching for products that will help manage involuntary leaks while you’re sleeping or, indeed, during the daytime. Rubber incontinence pants will likely be a product you come across early in your search for the perfect solution. 

These products have been around for a long time. They are usually sold for more severe cases—both urinary and fecal—and they are sold for women, men, and children. But before we dive deep into how they work, let’s briefly look at what incontinence is.

What Is Urinary Incontinence?

Incontinence is a broad term for any involuntary leakage of either the bowel or the bladder. Urinary is by far the most common kind of incontinence. It affects over 200 million people worldwide and is really any unwanted leakage of urine.

That’s a pretty broad definition and can cover everything from temporary incontinence caused, for example, by a terrible scare or not having access to a bathroom to persistent incontinence caused by a medical concern.

In women, there are 5 types of incontinence—stress, urge, mixed, overflow, and functional—and it’s worth understanding them. Rubber pants may be better for managing some types than others.

How Do Rubber Incontinence Pants Work?

Originally designed for hospital use, rubber diaper pants can be worn both as fixation pants for disposable pads and as additional protection over diaper pants, acting as a diaper cover. They help protect hospital bed linens from soiling. 

The rubber pants themselves are usually waterproof, washable, and reusable. You may also find examples of adult incontinence products that work the same way but are actually plastic pants.

Rubber pants offer an excellent and impermeable waterproof seal to prevent urine from leaking and are usually designed to provide full coverage. Rubber incontinence pants are designed to be worn night and day to provide protection from urine or fecal leak

Pros and Cons of Plastic Pants/Diaper Pants

Like any product, reusable and waterproof rubber incontinence products have some pros and cons. Let’s look at their features:

Pros:

• Waterproof, washable, reusable, and durable
• Excellent leak protection
• Can be used at night
• They are reusable
• Come in different waist sizes, from x small (XS) to medium (M) to  x large (XL)
• Good protection for your mattress and bed linens from leaks

Cons:

• Must be used with disposable products like diaper pants or absorbent pads (which are not reusable)
• Material may ‘stick’ to the skin and cause discomfort
• Can be quite bulky underneath clothes
• Material may make “squeaky” noises
• Rubber does not absorb liquid—you need to purchase other products for that
• May irritate or chafe skin at the elastic seams (e.g., waist or anywhere the pants pull)
• Not very stylish

Who Are Rubber Pants For? Different Kinds of Adult Incontinence

Rubber incontinence pants will likely not be your first choice of ways to manage your condition, and indeed they may not be necessary. 

If you are a healthy and active individual, rubber pants may not match your style or lifestyle. Perhaps you want to wear form-fitting clothing, or you want more of a semblance of normal panties from your incontinence products rather than going the full ‘adult diapers’ route. 

Moreover, if you only experience occasional light bladder leaks, rubber pants are probably more protection than you need. However, they are a good option for the following:

1. Functional Incontinence

Functional incontinence is the type of incontinence that might find an excellent management solution with rubber incontinence pants. Functional incontinence occurs when a patient is unable to make it to a washroom or unable to recognize their need to go.

Functional incontinence is probably the easiest form of incontinence to understand because it isn’t caused by any damage to the urinary system but usually by another medical condition.

It can have neurological or psychological causes. It might be a mental health issue that causes a person to ignore their urge to pee or a disease like Alzheimer’s disease that can impact a person’s self-awareness or judgment. 

But it can also be caused by physical impairments that prevent a person from acting on their need to urinate. These can include physical obstacles, such as spinal cord injuries and mobility issues.

Functional incontinence most often affects elderly adults, and treatment often includes nursing assistance that includes bathroom reminders. Changing physical settings to ensure easy access to bathrooms may also help manage adult incontinence. Other treatments can involve medications and therapies to improve the person’s physical and mental well-being.

2. Nocturnal Enuresis/Adult Bed-Wetting

Nocturnal enuresis “is involuntary urination while asleep after the age at which staying dry at night can be reasonably expected,” according to Mayo Clinic. "(It) can affect anyone, but it's twice as common in boys as in girls." 

Stress and anxiety, family history, and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have been associated with increased risk. (In children, soggy sheets and pajamas before age 7 generally aren't a concern.) 

If you suffer from adult bed-wetting and find other solutions inadequate, rubber incontinence pants may help prevent you from soiling your bedding/mattress.

Again, this would be for more extreme cases rather than mere light bladder leaks. But whether it’s tied to functional incontinence or has another cause, plastic pants might offer a way to manage the effects of bed-wetting in adults.

While rubber incontinence pants offer a way to manage urinary and fecal incontinence, they are not a treatment plan. We recommend you work with your healthcare provider to better understand the kind of incontinence you’re experiencing and discuss treatment plans beyond lifestyle products such as plastic pants.

Alternatives to Rubber Pants

If you experience light bladder leaks, rubber incontinence pants may be more product than you really need. 

For example, if you have stress incontinence—which occurs when the body is exerting (or under physical stress) and other muscles or muscle groups become compromised or less effective at doing their job—or urge incontinence—which manifests when there is a sudden and urgent need to pee that seemingly comes out of nowhere—leaks may be managed and treated more readily.

It’s still important to talk to your doctor about your experience. They’ll likely recommend a treatment plan that includes pelvic floor exercises, lifestyle changes, and other medical treatments (even surgery). 

Leakproof Underwear

However, there are underwear products more suited to managing light bladder leaks and adult incontinence than rubber incontinence pants. Super absorbent Knix leakproof underwear holds anywhere between 1 and 8 teaspoons of any liquid (whether that’s sweat, blood, or urine), depending on the style.

Products like these can be a game-changer for those experiencing female urinary incontinence, creating a better experience than plastic pants and allowing them to remain active and social while exploring treatment options.

Written by Jane Flanagan — Updated on January 5, 2023.

We hope you found this post informative — but remember: we’re not doctors and this post is not medical advice! While all posts are fact-checked and well researched, we always recommend you chat with your doctor about any questions or concerns you might have regarding a medical condition. We’re here to support and educate, but never with the aim of disregarding professional medical advice you’ve been given. Phew, now that that’s out of the way, you can go on living unapologetically free.