How to Treat Urinary Incontinence in Women

By Dr Susan Jewell MD

Urinary incontinence is a common and treatable condition in women. Living with this medical condition can be frustrating and embarrassing, but there are ways to treat the condition to help you improve the quality of your life.

The condition is caused by the loss of the ability to control your urine flow. It can affect women of any age. There are three types of incontinence known as stress, urge and overflow. The common symptoms found in all three types are basically the same and can include urine leakage from increased pressure to the bladder due to coughing, sneezing, exercising, laughing, and lifting heavy weights. With urge incontinence, a woman may have have to visit the bathroom more frequently to urinate, urinate in small amounts, or even wet the bed at night. Overflow incontinence presents with symptoms of increased bathroom visits at night, weak urine flow and sometimes the inability to urinate.

This article will offer some information on how you can manage and treat urinary incontinence.

1 Find out which type of incontinence you might be suffering from. You should consult your medical doctor and an evaluation will be performed. The doctor will perform a pelvic exam and order some lab work to include a urinalysis and culture of your urine sample, a cystoscopy, which is a test that allows your doctor to look at the interior lining of the bladder and a cystogram which takes an X-ray of the bladder.

2 Lifestyle changes can help your symptoms and help you manage your condition. Losing weight can help to alleviate the extra pressure on the pelvic floor muscles.

3 Modify your diet and make certain dietary changes. Some foods may cause you to urinate more, therefore it is best to reduce the intake or eliminate them from your diet altogether. Caffeinated drinks and alcohol increase urine output, so it is advisable to eliminate or reduce them from your diet.

4 Stop smoking since smoking will lead to a chronic cough that will strain pelvic floor muscles. the carcinogens found in cigarette smoke will also increase the risk of damaging the bladder and the urethra.

5 Kegel or pelvic floor exercises will help to strengthen the muscle around that area and help support the bladder and urethra. A weak pelvic floor may contribute to incontinence. The Kegel exercise is very easy to perform: first tighten your anus or sphincter muscles (these are the pelvic floor muscles). Hold for three to four seconds, then relax slowly for three to four seconds. Repeat this process 10 times. Increase the time interval accordingly.

6 There are other ways to treat or manage incontinence. Electrical stimulation or stimulator implants are simple and painless therapies that help Kegel exercises to be more effective. Ask your medical doctor to explain these options and see if this can be included in the management of your condition.

7 Medication can be an option to help improve or relieve incontinence. Anticholinergics, alpha adrenergics, estrogen and certain antibiotics to treat a urinary tract infection (if one is present) are some medications that the doctor might prescribe to help your condition. Your doctor will discuss your medication options with you and talk about the side effects to expect and how to take the medications.

8 Surgery can be another treatment option. You should discuss this with your medical doctor who will inform you about the pros and cons of surgery, as well as how to prepare and what to expect during and after the operation.