Urinary incontinence is a common problem for women. It can occur for many reasons, including pregnancy, childbirth or menopause.
If you experience urinary incontinence, talk to your healthcare provider about treatments that are safe and effective. Some treatments are simple and don’t require invasive procedures like using incontinence underwear. Others involve a combination of different approaches.
Physical Activity
For many people, urinary incontinence is an embarrassing and unpleasant problem that can keep them from doing the activities they love. It can cause them to avoid social events and eat poorly.
Fortunately, there are ways to live and be active while managing incontinence. But, it takes work and patience.
First, talk with your doctor about how to best manage the symptoms of urinary incontinence. They may recommend medication, behavioral therapy or physical therapy.
Your doctor may also suggest a program of Kegel exercises to strengthen the muscles in your pelvic floor. Practicing pelvic floor strengthening exercises regularly can improve your overall body strength, reduce stress incontinence and prevent urinary leakage.
It’s important to drink lots of water during exercise. Water helps dilute urine, which increases your kidney’s ability to filter waste from your body.
Diet
Getting enough nutrients is important for good health. Eating a balanced diet of whole, unprocessed foods is the best way to ensure you get the vitamins and minerals your body needs.
Nutrients are the main fuel for our body and brain, and they help us feel and function well. A healthy diet is one that provides you with plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and dairy products.
It's important to keep your diet simple and low in fat, sugar and alcohol. Limiting these items can help you avoid leakage problems.
Urinary incontinence is a common problem, but it can go away with lifestyle changes and through medical treatment. Usually, bladder control problems disappear after a urinary tract infection is treated or after childbirth or menopause.
Medications
Medications are sometimes used to help relieve incontinence, particularly for stress and urgency urinary incontinence. These drugs work by reducing the spasms in your bladder muscles that cause you to leak urine, or helping your bladder fill and store more urine.
Anticholinergic medications are often used for both stress and urge incontinence, such as desmopressin (sample brand name: Sanctura), oxybutynin (sample brand names: Ditropan, Oxytrol, Gelnique) and darifenacin (sample brand name: Enablex). Beta adrenergic medicines are also available and may be prescribed for women with urgency urinary incontinence that does not respond to other treatments.
Your health care provider will discuss the types of medications that might be helpful for your particular situation. Some medications have risks or side effects that you should know about before taking them, such as heart problems and drowsiness.
Surgery
If your bladder control problems don’t respond to nonsurgical approaches, surgery may help. It’s a safe, effective treatment option for many women who have stress urinary incontinence (leakage that occurs when you cough, sneeze or lift).
The most common type of surgery for stress incontinence is called a sling procedure. During this surgery, your doctor creates a hammock-like support for your urethra by placing a synthetic or human tissue sling under and around it.
Your sling is designed to keep your urethra closed when you exert pressure on your bladder, so you don’t leak. The surgery can also be used to treat another form of incontinence -- called urgency urinary incontinence.
Most surgeries are performed using robotic technology, which reduces recovery time and risks. It also can save your doctor’s time and improve the quality of your care.
