Whether your bladder leakage, known as incontinence, is more of an annoyance or severe enough that you’re afraid to leave the house without a change of clothing, there are steps you can take to manage or treat the problem. Bladder leakage is a common condition that has a big impact on quality of life. It’s not something you need to live with, and it shouldn’t keep you from leading an active life.
There are a variety of treatments for incontinence. The one that’s best for you depends on the type of incontinence you have and how much it affects your daily life. Most health care professionals begin with conservative treatments that are noninvasive or minimally invasive and that have few side effects. If this approach doesn’t work, you and your care team may want to consider other treatment options.
Lifestyle changes
It’s possible that changes in your daily routine may be the only treatment needed to manage your incontinence. Many times, some fairly easy changes can improve symptoms.
The types and amount of fluid you drink each day, as well as the types of food you eat, can influence your bladder habits. Too much or too little fluid can lead to or worsen incontinence. Certain foods can also irritate the bladder and increase urinary frequency, urgency and
leakage.
Pay attention to fluids.
Drinking too much fluid can make you urinate more often. Excess fluid can also overwhelm your bladder and create a strong sense of urgency — that feeling of needing to go, now! In general, aim for 40 to 60-ounces of fluid daily (about 5 to 7 8-ounce glasses) spread throughout the day. If you get up several times at night to urinate, try drinking most of your fluids in the morning and afternoon.
Surprisingly, drinking too little fluid can cause problems too. Too little fluid can cause your urine to become overly concentrated with your body’s waste products. Concentrated urine can irritate your bladder, increasing the urge and frequency with which you need to urinate. It may also put you at risk of a urinary tract infection.
Avoid irritating foods and beverages.
Certain foods and beverages can irritate your bladder. Caffeine and alcohol both act as diuretics, which means they increase urine production. This can lead to problems with needing to go to the bathroom often and quickly.
Consuming too many acidic fruits and juices — orange, grapefruit, lemon, lime — may also irritate your bladder. So may spicy foods, tomato-based products, sparkling water and other carbonated drinks.
If any of these items are a regular part of your diet, try eliminating them for a week or two and see if your symptoms improve. Cut out only one food or beverage at a time so that you can tell which one might be causing the problem.
It may also help to pay attention to any foods that cause constipation. Constipation can make urinary incontinence worse.
Check your medications
Some medications, including high blood pressure drugs and heart medications, contribute to incontinence in a variety of ways. They may relax the bladder muscle or the urethral sphincters, cause overproduction of urine, or trigger a chronic cough that can worsen stress incontinence. If you’re taking a medication that you think may be contributing to your bladder problems, discuss this with your health care team.
Lose weight
Being overweight can increase the pressure on your abdomen and the structures in your pelvis, including your bladder. Losing weight has been shown to improve symptoms of incontinence, especially in women with stress incontinence. In one study in which overweight women with stress incontinence took part in a weight-loss program, the women experienced more than a 70% reduction in episodes of urine leakage as their weight decreased.
Behavioral modification
In addition to conservative measures, there are a few other strategies that can help bladder control problems. Your health care professional may suggest the following techniques.
Bladder training
Bladder training is intended to improve symptoms related to needing to go to the bathroom frequently. Its purpose is to delay urination when you get the urge to go. You may start by trying to hold off for 10 minutes every time you feel an urge to urinate. The goal is to lengthen the time between trips to the toilet until you’re urinating only every 2 to 4 hours.
Double voiding
Double voiding is used among women who feel they aren’t able to empty their bladders completely when urinating. The process involves urinating, then waiting a few minutes and trying again.
Scheduled toilet trips
This technique can help with all forms of incontinence. Instead of waiting for the feeling that you need to go to the bathroom, make it a habit to urinate every 2 to 4 hours.
See your healthcare team
If these strategies don’t give you relief from incontinence, talk to your healthcare team. They treat bladder leakage all the time.
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