Fecal incontinence often called accidental bowel leakage, is the inability to control bowel movements, resulting in leakage of solid or liquefied stool. Symptoms of this chronic condition – which affects about 6% of women under age 40, and 15% of older women in the United States – ranges from moderate to socially debilitating. While men also suffer from fecal incontinence, it’s more far common among women due to their reproductive anatomy and hormonal changes during menopause.