How to Deal With Incontinence

How To Cope With Bladder Weakness

You feel frustrated and humiliated, your far too young for these kind of problems and you are far too shy and disturbed by it to tell anyone or ask the doctor for help.

There is a huge psychological impact due to bladder problems and incontinence.  If a women between the ages of 30 – 50 begins to urinate more frequently, has an accident or has any other bladder problem they are likely to see it as yet another step on the downward ladder of aging.

But in fact not all bladder problems and incontinence are an inevitable sign of aging. 

Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)

One of the most common causes is a urinary tract infection, which is very common in women in their 30s and 40s is  bacterial infection which occurs when bacteria invades the urethra which can easily occur  because the woman’s urethra, (the tube that carries urine out of bladder) is less than 2 inches long and as it is so short it is vulnerable to invasion by bacteria that naturally live in the vagina and rectum.  Sexual intercourse can drive the bacteria to go up further into the urinary tract which can cause inflammation of urethra, bladder or kidneys.

If you wait too long to urinate, this  is another common cause of UTI’s,  if you hang on for hours, this can stretch the bladder muscles and weaken it to the point that it can’t expel all the urine and the residue may increase the risk of infection.  Prescribed antibiotics should clear up these infections.

In some cases women with UTIs may develop interstitial cystitis, a chronic disease that causes an inflammation of the bladder and can cause great urge.  Unfortunately there is no cure but symptoms can often be relieved by steroids and antihistamines.

How to avoid a bladder infection

Drink lots of water – diluting bladder makes it harder for bacteria to survive.

Urinate often – doing this will keep your bladder clean of bacteria.

Drink cranberry juice – evidence suggests the cranberry juice my inhibit bacteria’s ability to latch onto the bladder wall

Urinate after sex – as this will flush out any bacteria that was driven into the bladder during sex.

Practice good hygiene – wash your hands to stop the spread of bacteria and when wiping you bottom go front to back and this will keep potentially harmful bacteria away from the urethra.

Shower, not bath -  soaking in bath with soapy water or bubble bath can irritate the lining of the urinary tract, particularly if you have a past history of infections.

Cotton Panties – nylon can restrict airflow, trap moisture and promote bacterial growth around the urethra, also make sure if you wear tights / panty hose they have a cotton crotch

Losing Control

Incontinence makes women feel older, it signifies lack of control and promotes a feeling of losing it and becoming decrepit.

But the truth is about one in four women between the ages of 30 – 59 have an incontinence problem – the same rate as women over 60.

Stress incontinence and urge incontinence are the most common among women in their thirties and forties.  Stress incontinence may result when pelvic floor muscles are weakened or damages caused by pregnancy and child birth, excessive weight gain or decreased hormonal production, ie the bladder and the urethra sag, and the sphincter muscles can’t completely close, so any abdominal pressure such as a laugh or sneeze can cause a leak

Urge incontinence, which can be caused by UTI’s or inflammation of the bladder occurs when an irritated or overactive bladder muscles contract uncontrollably.  This causes a compelling need to go to the bathroom.  Sometimes you can have a combination of stress and urge incontinence.

Doctors can usually help with the above problems, there are drugs that will tighten the sphincter music or relax the bladder muscle to stop inappropriate bladder contractions.  As a last resort there is surgery to restore a sagging bladder or the make the urethra tight.  Simple remedies such as those listed below can help.

Keep track – write a urinary log for a week or two before you see a doctor, note what you eat and drink and when you go the bathroom and when and where you leak, were you coughing, did you feel an urge and not make it to the bathroom on time.  The diary will help you and your doctor to identify the problem.

Know your drugs – check that bladder weakness is not a side effect of any of the drugs that you have been prescribed.

Know your diet – some women say that coffee, tea, carbonated soft drinks, artificial sweeteners, chocolate, tomatoes, hot spices etc can make their incontinence worse.  If you suspect a food try eliminating it for a week as it maybe what it irritating your bladder.

Don’t smoke – women who smoke are more likely to be incontinent, excessive coughing can weaken pelvic floor muscles and causes stress incontinence  and smoking can irritate the bladder muscles  making them contract more and causing leaks.

Drink up – urine needs to be diluted as highly concentrated urine irritates the bladder and causes it to contract and rid itself of that urine.   Also not drinking causes UTIs (as above), dehydration, constipation and kidney stones.  Drink at least six glasses of water a day.

Eat a high fibre diet – constipation can contribute to incontinence as it puts pressure on the bladder and increase the risk of urge incontinence

Double voiding – if you feel like your bladder isn’t draining completely tray double voiding, to do it remain on the toilet until your bladder feels empty.  Then stand up for 10 – 20 seconds , sit down, lean slightly forward over your knees, relax and wait until your bladder empties completely.

Lose weight – excess weight can strain the pelvic floor muscles and increases the risk of incontinence.  Loosing as little as five to seven pounds can make a difference.

Pelvic floor exercises – learn some Kegal exercises – squeeze the muscles in your rectum as if you trying to prevent passing wing, this will tense your pelvic floor muscles, squeeze the muscles for a slow count to four, then relax for another count to four.  Try to do 10 sets of this a day.  As muscles get strong increase the time you squeeze the muscle and the amount you do. 

Retrain your bladder – If you urinate more often than you like, try bladder retraining.  To do it, urinate first thing in the morning, and then make sure you go every hour, even if you don’t feel like going.  Do this every waking hour for a week, then each subsequent week add thirty minutes to the time between bathroom trips until week seven, when you should be at four hours, if you feel the urge to go before the time is up, do Kegal exercises or a distraction task until the urge passes.