The phenomenon of releasing urine when you cough, laugh, or sneeze is called stress incontinence. It is more common among women than men. Accidental release of urine can also occur when running, lifting heavy objects, or other physical activities that add pressure to the bladder. Unfortunately, stress incontinence can cause embarrassment and lead you to distance yourself from friends and social situations. It can also cause you to limit exercise and leisure activities. However, with treatment (either at home or with a doctor), you can control and improve the condition.
Step
Method 1 of 2: Treating Stress Incontinence at Home
Step 1. Use the bathroom frequently
Trying to refrain from using the bathroom will cause more leaks. Use the bathroom whenever you feel like peeing. Also make sure you go to the toilet whenever you can if you are traveling long distances.
Step 2. Treat unresolved constipation
Constipation is a factor in stress incontinence because it increases pressure in the stomach and stimulates the nerves near the rectum, which makes you urinate more often. You can take simple steps at home to treat constipation, including:
- Eat more fiber-rich fruits, vegetables and whole grains
- Keep yourself hydrated
- Keeping physically active
- You can find more specific information in articles that discuss how to regulate bowel movements
Step 3. Get rid of foods and drinks that irritate the bladder
A variety of foods and drinks can irritate your bladder or increase urine production (thus making you have to pee more often). Your body may have a reaction to some of these foods and drinks but not all. Try incorporating one food or drink into your diet to find out which one causes stress incontinence. Some common foods and drinks that increase stress incontinence include:
- Caffeine
- Carbonated drinks
- Orange
- Chocolate
- Alcohol
- Spicy food
Step 4. Reduce fluid intake
If stress incontinence persists even after eliminating a drink that causes bladder irritation, try reducing your fluid intake in general; But don't risk getting dehydrated. Just reduce the amount of fluids you drink after drinking more than the recommended eight to ten glasses a day.
Reduce the amount of fluids you drink after 4:00 p.m. if you're having trouble in the late afternoon and evening
Step 5. Quit smoking
In addition to various other health problems or complications, smoking can also irritate your bladder, leading to overactive symptoms and increasing stress incontinence. Many smokers also end up with a chronic cough, which can result in more leakage.
- Quitting smoking suddenly is often unsuccessful for most smokers. Take advantage of available smoking cessation tools such as nicotine patches and gum, and join the support community to cure your smoking addiction.
- You can find more information about smoking cessation aids in the article How to Quit Smoking.
Step 6. Do more exercise
Excess weight can increase pressure on the bladder and pelvic floor muscles. Most experts consider a body mass index of 25 or higher to be overweight (30 means obese). Even shedding a little excess weight can result in a drastic improvement in the symptoms of the disease.
- An excellent exercise routine for shedding some weight includes thirty minutes of moderate aerobic activity (such as sprinting or cycling) five times a week. If you like high-intensity exercise (such as sports games), aim to do up to seventy-five minutes a week.
- Remember that vigorous exercise is not as effective at burning calories as aerobic exercise. In fact, extreme weight lifting can increase stress incontinence by reducing the strength of your pelvic floor.
- Learn more about how to calculate your Body Mass Index in the article How to Calculate Your Body Mass Index.
- Some doctors recommend using a tampon if you are experiencing symptoms of stress incontinence when doing sports such as running, as this will help support the vagina. Don't forget to remove your tampon to prevent TS syndrome (toxic shock syndrome).
Step 7. Balance your diet
Eating right is just as important as exercise when it comes to losing weight. Reduce consumption of processed foods, foods and drinks that contain sugar, and sources with a high content of saturated fat. Instead of these foods and drinks, stick to a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and lean meats (fish and skinless chicken), as well as whole grains. Talk to your doctor about the most effective changes you can make to your diet.
Step 8. Strengthen your pelvic floor muscles
Weak pelvic floor muscles (often from birth) are a major factor in stress incontinence. Nearly 75 percent of women with this condition recover successfully by doing Kegel exercises to strengthen these muscles (both men and women can). However, you have to be patient because the results can only be seen after weeks or months.
- To do Kegel exercises, isolate the muscles by deliberately stopping the flow of urine each time you need to pee. Once you know how it feels when the muscles are used, hold it firmly for eight seconds before relaxing it again while counting to ten. Repeat every day three times.
- You can also start with a few counts and then add them up over time.
- You can also try a vaginal weight lift, which is a cone-shaped weight that is inserted into your vagina like a tampon and helps tighten pelvic floor muscles. You can start with light weights, holding them for a minute twice a day. Once you can hold it for 15 minutes, move on to heavier weights.
- Yoga has also been shown to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles. Postures such as fish, pike, or crow work in a similar way to Kegel exercises.
Step 9. Use tips to reduce the number of leaks
The steps above take time. While waiting for the results, you can take other steps to reduce the appearance of leaks and the degree of leakage experienced. You must:
- Cross your legs when you start laughing or feel like coughing or sneezing, which will help support your bladder and relieve pressure.
- Pad your underwear with stress incontinence products. These pads will prevent stains on clothes and reduce odors.
- Tighten your Kegel muscles and buttocks when sitting to reduce accidental leakage.
Step 10. Take control of your blood sugar
If you are diabetic, changes in blood pressure can lead to increased stress incontinence. Monitor blood sugar pressure regularly and keep it under control by staying physically active and watching your diet.
Method 2 of 2: See a Doctor to Treat Stress Incontinence
Step 1. Know when you should see a doctor
If your symptoms don't improve after taking steps at home or if the leaks start to interfere with your daily activities, make an appointment with your doctor. The doctor will provide various steps based on the severity of the disease and other specifications in your condition, including treatment and surgical intervention for severe levels.
Give your doctor a full picture of your medical history and let them know what steps you have taken
Step 2. Follow all diagnostic tests
The doctor will perform a physical examination of your abdomen and genitals, and may ask you to tighten some muscles during the exam. He or she may also need to run other diagnostic tests, which may include:
- Test a urine sample for infection, blood, or abnormalities that could increase the sensitivity or irritability of your bladder
- Nerve examination to identify nerve damage to the pelvis
- Stress urine test, in which the doctor will observe the release of urine when you cough or give a downward push
- Bladder function test, which measures the amount of urine remaining in the bladder after urinating and the pressure in the bladder
Step 3. Ask about treatment options
Your doctor may encourage you to continue with the home remedies (perhaps even increasing your routine). He or she may also recommend medication to help reduce stress incontinence. Treatments that may help mild to moderate cases include:
- Anticholinergic medications-oxybutinine (Oxytrol, Ditropan), tolterodine (Detrol), and trospium (Sanctura)-to help relax the bladder muscles and reduce contractions and leakage
- Antimuscarinic drugs-atropine, solifenacin-to stop bladder contractions (which can increase the amount of urine remaining in the bladder after urinating)
- Imipramine-a tricyclic antidepressant-which relaxes the bladder muscles to help expel urine completely
- Estrogen creams and tablets or vaginal rings that can help postmenopausal women increase pelvic floor muscle strength.
Step 4. Talk to your doctor about surgery options
When all other options have failed to relieve stress incontinence symptoms, your doctor may suggest surgery as a last resort. The doctor will make recommendations for specific procedures based on gender and other criteria. Options include:
- Repair of the anterior vaginal wall, which will restore the strength of the vaginal wall when the bladder descends (bladder protrudes toward the vagina).
- Installation of an artificial urinary sphincter, which is a device used especially in men to stop urine leakage.
- Collagen injections, which will thicken the area around the urethra to reduce leakage. This option may require more than one procedure.
- Retropubic suspension, which is a procedure that elevates the bladder and urethra to reduce tension and pressure.
- Vaginal sling procedure, which will support the urethra with the use of a sling to reduce tension and pressure.
