How To Help Bladder Control

Treatments For Urgency Incontinence

Urgency incontinence is when you get the urge to go, and if you dont make it to a bathroom, your bladder will empty. It can have serious effects on your life and your work.

Experts dont know what causes urgency incontinence, but there are different ways to approach it. First we start with behavioral changes, which vary based on your situation. Steps could include:

• Weight loss again, losing even a small amount of weight can help.

• Avoiding excess fluids. If youre having trouble sleeping, we talk about limiting fluids before bedtime so sleep is less interrupted.

• Time voiding, which is retraining the bladder. If the patient is in the bathroom every hour, well slowly lengthen that interval so theyre in the bathroom less often.

• Pelvic floor exercises, with help from a physical therapist.

• Changing your diet. I review a list of bladder irritants: coffee, chocolate, alcohol, spicy foods, and other things. We have patients skip those foods and drinks for a week or two and see what their urgency or frequency is like.

If behavioral changes dont help, there are other options to explore. We can try certain medications that relax your bladder muscles and prevent leakage. Botox, injected into the muscles of the bladder, can help some patients temporarily. And there are several medications we can try, including anticholinergics, which block the impulse to urinate. This can help you get more sleep at night.

How Is Urinary Incontinence Treated

You and your doctor or nurse will work together to create a treatment plan. You may start with steps you can take at home. If these steps do not improve your symptoms, your doctor or nurse may recommend other treatments depending on whether you have stress incontinence or urge incontinence or both.

Be patient as you work with your doctor or nurse on a treatment plan. It may take a month or longer for different treatments to begin working.

How Can I Strengthen My Bladder Naturally

Also Check: How Long Does It Take Azo Bladder Control To Work

It Could Be A Sign Of An Underlying Condition

Naturally, later in life, people can experience incontinence because of increased production of urine related to aging kidneys. Bladder function is also heavily impacted by changing bladder capacity and chronic medical conditions like diabetes, says Fairchild. Chronic straining, coughing and/or constipation can all put stress on the bladder, she explains.

But leakage can also be sign of a more serious, underlying health condition, according to a 2018 National Poll on Healthy Aging.” For example, poor heart function could be the culprit behind frequent urination while sleeping.

If fluid is pooling in your legs during the day, when you lay down, that fluid redistributes and increases urine production, says Fairchild.

Although bladder leakage is common, discuss your particular symptoms with your doctor.

What Is Bladder Training

Bladder training is a way of learning to manage urinary incontinence. It helps you change your urination habits. Its generally used for stress incontinence or urge incontinence. Stress incontinence is when urine leaks because of sudden pressure on your lower stomach muscles. This could be when you cough, laugh, lift something, or exercise. Urge incontinence is when the need to urinate comes on so fast that you cant get to a toilet in time. Bladder training can also be used for a combination of the 2 types .

Bladder training can help by:

• Lengthening the amount of time between bathroom trips.
• Increasing the amount of urine your bladder can hold.
• Improving your control over the urge to urinate.

Recommended Reading: Will Augmentin Treat A Bladder Infection

The Link Between Weak Bladder And Oab

When the smooth muscle within the bladder becomes overactive, it can lead to improper contraction and relaxation of the muscle. Problems in the nerves that stimulate the bladder, as well as some neurological conditions, may lead to OAB.

According to the Urology Care Foundation, as many as 30% of men and 40% of women in the United States have OAB symptoms.

The muscles in the lower abdomen that support the bladder and urethra are known as the pelvic muscles. For women, these muscles often stretch and weaken during pregnancy and childbirth, which can cause organs in the abdomen to shift.

A lack of muscle support around the bladder can cause sagging, which can lead to leakage. This can lead to stress incontinence, which often results from a mix of OAB and urge incontinence.

If a person is experiencing frequent urination or having urine leakage after a sudden urge to urinate, it may be time to talk with a doctor about treatment options to help with OAB.

However, there are also several lifestyle changes that a person can make to help to calm the bladder muscle, which may help improve OAB symptoms. Read on to learn more.

The sections below provide suggestions for ways to help manage a weak bladder, which may also improve OAB symptoms.

Mental Decline And Incontinence

Dementia is a brain disorder which affects communication and performance of daily activities. Alzheimers Disease is the most frequent cause of dementia, causing 50-70% of cases according to the Centre for Disease Control. Other common causes include Huntingtons, Parkinsons, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease.

These conditions cause changes in the structure of the brain as neurons die. As they progress, difficulties with urination occur. Incontinence can be caused by frequent UTIs from an individuals inability to clean themselves properly, constipation from a poor diet or dehydration, or as a side-effect of medication.

Alternatively, urinary incontinence may occur because of neurological decline caused by dementia. Mobility can decrease as the disease progresses, making it difficult for a sufferer to reach the toilet on time. Reduced sensation can also prevent the sufferer from knowing when they need to urinate. Mental decline can lead to the individual not knowing where the toilet is, or how to use it when they get there.

There are some steps you can take to manage the effects of dementia on urinary incontinence:

Establish routines to avoid accidents. Take the sufferer to the loo after every meal and ensure

You May Like: What Do You Drink For A Bladder Infection

Try To Avoid Caffeine Carbonated Drinks Sugar Alcohol And Spicy Or Acidic Foods

• Caffeine is a diuretic which makes you need to use the bathroom more often.
• Carbonated drinks and sugar are thought to stimulate the bladder.
• Alcohol switches off the ability of your body to concentrate urine. This means you tend to urinate more dilute, watery urine, which dehydrates you. Since you are dehydrated, you may drink more.
• Acidic or spicy food may aggravate your overactive bladder and worsen your symptoms. Certain acidic fruit and juices like orange, grapefruit, lemon and lime can aggravate your bladder, too.

Ways To Treat Bladder Leakage

With so many bladder leakage products and treatment options, how do you know what is the best one for you?

First, be sure to check in with your urologist or urogynecologist to see what may be causing your bladder leakage. Knowing the cause will help you and your doctor decide what treatment option will work best for you. While certain drinks, foods and medications may stimulate your bladder, there are other medical reasons that can cause your symptoms, including:

• Urinary tract infections
• Weakened pelvic floor, sometimes caused by pregnancy, childbirth, menopause or having had a hysterectomy
• Obstruction
• Neurological disorders

Depending on what is causing your urinary incontinence, a unique treatment plan should be developed based on your personal situation, says Nina Bhatia, M.D., urogynecologist at Hackensack Meridian Health. There are several lifestyle changes, including bladder retraining techniques, dietary changes, avoiding bladder irritants, pelvic floor exercises and pelvic floor physical therapy that can help tremendously. If those fail to provide you relief, there are non-surgical and surgical options that we can offer.

Don’t Miss: How To Stop A Leaky Bladder Without Surgery

How Is It Diagnosed

Your physical therapist will perform a thorough examination to identify the causes of your urinary incontinence, and will ask you to describe your symptoms and your daily experiences. They may assess the muscles of your pelvis, hip, and low back, as well as the coordination, strength, and flexibility of the muscles of your pelvic floor.

Your physical therapist also may refer you to a physician for additional tests, such as urodynamic testing, diagnostic ultrasound, or MRI to show any pelvic-floor muscle problems, to ensure an accurate diagnosis.

From Leaking Urine To Sudden Urges To Go: An Ob

You dont have to suffer in silence there are many treatment options available.

Whether its a few drops of leaking urine or a complete emptying of the bladder, incontinence is a bladder control issue that women are twice as likely to have as men. And by the time a womanhas made an appointment to talk about what shes dealing with, she has had enough.

Incontinence can be embarrassing, super annoying, and costly. But you dont have to suffer in silence there are many treatment options available.

Also Check: What Do They Do For Bladder Cancer

What Are Common Bladder Irritants

Before you find out what products to buy, it is important to learn more about the bladder itself. After all, most of us dont know enough about organs and their functions. The bladder is a muscular sac in the pelvis located right above and behind the pubic bone.

When its empty, the bladder resembles a pear in shape and size. On the other hand, when its full your bladder expands. The inner lining of the bladder tucks into the folds and it expands to accumulate the fluid i.e. urine.

Kidneys make urine which then travels to the bladder via tubes called ureters. The urine is stored in your bladder. During urination, muscles in the bladder squeeze, and two sphincters open to allow urine out. On its way out of the bladder, the urine goes through the urethra, a tube that carries it out of your body. Men have a larger urethra than women because it passes through their penis.

Weak bladder control is a frequent problem that happens due to a wide array of causes. Some of the most common causes of weak bladder control include:

• Diabetes

• Stay hydrated drink enough fluids, particularly water
• Take enough time to empty your bladder completely
• Urinate after sex
• Wear loose-fitting clothes and cotton underwear

Bladder control requires some lifestyle adjustments, but sometimes you need more than that. This is where bladder control products step in. They help you get rid of the unpleasant symptoms and urgent urination in an entirely natural manner.

Help With Urinary Incontinence

Urinary Incontinence is a challenge for more than a third of those 65 and over. Bladder control exercises can help you regain control of your bladder from urinary incontinence and help you prevent incontinence in the future.

Urinary incontinence in women can be caused by a variety of factors. In addition to the weakening of bladder muscles that comes with age, women go through pregnancy, childbirth, and menopause that can affect the urinary tract, bladder, and pelvic floor muscles.

Anatomy also plays a role. The female urethra is much shorter than the male urethra, which can make women more likely to develop UI if the urinary tract has been damaged. The two most common forms of UI are stress incontinence and urge incontinence.

Stress incontinence is characterized by leaking urine while jumping, coughing, sneezing, or doing any activity that puts stress on the bladder.

Urge incontinence is characterized by the frequent and strong urge to urinate, even if youve just emptied your bladder. This form of incontinence is very similar to overactive bladder , but it becomes incontinence when the intense urge causes your bladder muscles to release urine, even if youre nowhere near the bathroom.

Also Check: Agent Orange And Bladder Cancer

Try Kegel Exercises And Physical Therapy

Dr. Wakamatsu also recommends Kegel exercises, which are exercises to strengthen pelvic floor muscles that women may have learned from their gynecologist or during pregnancy.

We think most women develop overactive bladder and urgency incontinence from bad habits.

If at-home methods do not work, Dr. Wakamatsu refers patients to pelvic floor physical therapy or recommends a pessary device, which can be inserted into the vaginal canal to decrease leaks.

Pelvic floor physical therapists teach patients specific exercises to strengthen pelvic and abdominal muscles as well as slow-breathing and distraction techniques to reduce the urge to urinate. Routines can contribute to bladder control problems and these therapists can work with patients on this, too.

Many women use the bathroom upon arriving home, which can lead to a key-in-the-door triggering the bladder. Using the toilet while the shower warms, trains the bladder to respond to running water.

We think most women develop overactive bladder and urgency incontinence from bad habits, Dr. Wakamatsu says. We want to help them change to: brain over bladder.

How To Relax Your Bladder Muscles

Most of us probably do not think about our bladder muscles, but your bladder muscles can play a role in overactive bladder symptoms. Similar to other muscles, you can strengthen the muscles in your bladder and reduce symptoms of OAB. Continue reading to find out how to relax your bladder muscles, and how this may improve your OAB symptoms.

Recommended Reading: How To Treat Overactive Bladder

Tips For Improving Your Bladder Control

• Try to be the boss of your bladder, not the other way around adults usually pass urine four to six times in a day and maybe once during the night. Bladder retraining techniques can help people with urge incontinence to lengthen the time between toilet visits and buy more time when the urge strikes.
• Assess how how much fluid you drink in total each day. Usually 5 or 6 drinks a day in total is enough. There is no right amount to drink frequently people think they should drink a lot more than they need. Reduce drinking in the evening if going to the toilet at night is a problem.
• Eat a diet with plenty of fibre to help avoid constipation .
• Avoid bladder irritants, such as alcohol and caffeine-containing beverages, if they irritate your bladder.
• Check all of your medications with your doctor some can affect bladder control.
• Keep to a healthy body weight it puts less strain on your pelvic floor muscles.
• Do exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles.

Path To Improved Health

Ask your doctor about starting a bladder training program. He or she may ask you to keep a diary. You can use the diary to record how much and how often you urinate. This information will help your doctor create a plan thats right for you.

Three bladder training methods are listed below. Your doctor may recommend 1 or more of these methods to help control your incontinence.

Keep in mind it may take 3 to 12 weeks of bladder training to see results. During your training program, your doctor may have you keep track of the number of urine leaks you have each day. This will help you and your doctor see if bladder training is helping. Dont be discouraged if you dont see immediate results or if you still experience some incontinence.

Recommended Reading: Can Bladder Infection Heal On Its Own

Ways To Stop Bladder Leaks

Womens HealthWomens Hormones 0

If you find yourself crossing your legs out of instinct when you laugh or sneezeOr if you hold back from doing some fun things because youre afraid an embarrassing leak may stop you in your tracksOr if you avoid intimacy out of fear of leaking at the worst moment possibleYou arent alone. But, contrary to what your doctor may tell you, you do not have to suffer in silence.If youve ever been to a doctor and been told that leaks are just a part of getting older, and felt devastated, embarrassed, or afraid that this is the rest of your lifeI want you to know that there IS a better way.Crossing the threshold to menopause does not automatically mean that you need to be miserable. You have the power to live the life of your dreams, without embarrassing or annoying symptoms, through your 50s, 60s, and beyond!Bladder leaks are frustrating and absolutely affect the quality of your life, relationships, and sleep. But theres more to the picture than you may think.Lets dive into the types of bladder leaks that are most common in perimenopause and menopause, why they happen, and exactly what you can do to stop bladder leaks from stealing your joy!

Pelvic Floor Exercises Can Help Immensely

You cant see your pelvic floor muscles however, just like other muscles in your body they lose their strength if they are not put to use.

Pelvic floor exercises help strengthen the pelvic floor when done consistently at least twice a day. How are they done?

• Imagine you are holding back gas or urine.
• Squeeze and lift the rectal area without tightening your buttocks or belly. Try and hold it for a count of three before relaxing. Repeat this cycle 10 times. Do 10 sets of Kegel exercises, at least 3 times a day.
• Increase your contractions as your doctor recommends.
• Do not hold your breath when you do Kegel exercises. Keep your stomach, back, and leg muscles relaxed.
• Don’t use Kegel exercises to start and stop your urine stream which can lead to incomplete emptying of the bladder and an increased risk of a urinary tract infection.

Review our information about Kegel exercises for both women and men to learn more about the techniques.

Don’t Miss: Locally Advanced Bladder Cancer Stage