Urinary Incontinence: Gotta Go, Gotta Go Right Now!

Urinary incontinence affects millions of Americans and causes havoc with their lives.  It I a source of embarrassment, shame and often depression.  Other medical consequences of incontinence include skin irritation, urinary tract infections, and pelvic pain.  This blog will discuss treatment options including medications and non-medical solutions.

Urinary incontinence means that the person suffering from it starts losing his/her control over the bladder. This leads to several kinds of problems of the urinary system including sudden urination, slow but steady leakage of urine, or dripping of urine when one undertakes a physically stressful exercise like lifting weight.  Those who have incontinence often lose urine with coughing, laughing, or sneezing.

Although this is a common medical problem, many suffers continue to suffer in silence, living a secluded and reclusive life.

While these causes cannot be controlled, it is important to take note of and control factors that can worsen the condition:

Medication

If you have a problem of urinary incontinence and the symptoms have gone from bad to worse, you need to check with your doctor about the medication or drugs you have been taking. For, chances are that some of these may be exacerbating the problem. Certain drugs to treat high blood pressure are linked to an increase in incontinence.

Alpha blockers dilate blood vessels to reduce blood pressure and they also often relax the muscles of the bladder, furthering urine flow. Some drugs to treat depression can contribute to worsening incontinence symptoms.

Anti-depressants work by relaxing the nerves of the mind and may also affect the ability of the bladder muscles to contract (side effects).

Diuretics are another set of drugs that are associated with increased

urination. In fact, these drugs are also called ‘water pills’, and are designed to flush out excess salt from your body to treat conditions like high blood pressure.

Caffeine

Caffeine is an important component of our daily lives as most of us consume it through coffee, tea and chocolates. Excessive consumption of caffeine is associated with the problem of increased urination. While mild consumption doesn’t have a negative effect, excess consumption can affect the renal system, as caffeine is a stimulant. It stimulates the cardiovascular system, increasing the heart rate as well as blood pressure. This increases the rate of blood to be filtered. It also relaxes the bladder’s detrusor muscles, causing them to feel fuller more frequently. So, limiting caffeine intake is healthy.

Type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is a major health concern of today as it affects the functioning of the entire body. It also increases the risk of urinary incontinence, as well as its severity. Efforts should be made to prevent and control diabetes by keeping your weight under control, exercising regularly and leading a healthy lifestyle.

Excessive weight also puts extra pressure on the pelvic muscles and weakens them. Therefore, it is also important to control body weight.

Solutions

Besides controlling the aforementioned factors, it is important to take medical help to treat and manage urinary incontinence.

In some patients, adopting behavioral changes may help. For example, decreasing fluid intake to average levels, urinating more frequently to decrease the amount of urine that is held in the bladder and keeping regular bowel habits (as constipation can worsen the problem) may have a positive effect.

Pelvic muscle training exercises, aka Kegel exercises, can specifically help those who suffer from incontinence. The exercises help patients exercise better control of their detrusor muscles.

Weight loss has also been shown to help decrease symptoms in overweight people.

Bottom Line:  Urinary incontinence is a common condition affecting millions of American men and women.  Help is available and no one needs to “depend on Depends”!

Non-Medical Steps To Control Bladder or Urine Leaks (Overactive Bladder)

Urine Leaks/loss of bladder control is common among women and is one of the most embarrassing maladies affecting anyone who suffers from this problem.

The condition affects women between ages 18 through 65 and it could get worse it not properly managed.

Loss of bladder control/urine leaks/urinary incontinence can be contained with simple lifestyle changes without having to undergo any form of surgery or take any medications with its associated side effects.

Tips that work:

1. Kegels

Kegels are known to help tighten the pelvic floor muscle. Try ‘squeezing’ the pelvic muscle slowly.

A common way to do this is to stop urine flow while at it counting up to 20 before starting the flow, holding each squeeze for 10 seconds.

2. Reduce fluids intake

Drink water when you have to/regularly but don’t drink too much to overwork the bladder.

3. Reduce acidic foods in your diet

Foods with high acid content should be reduced. Oranges, apples, lemon and alcohol contain acid known to irritate the bladder. If you have urinary incontinence, reduce intake of these foods.

4. Relax

It’s best to relax as this also helps the whole body relax which reports reveal could reduce urinary incontinence.

5. Use tampons

You can use tampons to stay dry especially when involved in high impact activities or moving around a lot.

Tampons slightly lift up the urethra (which is the bladder opening) to support it when you are moving around. Be sure to remove it as soon as you are done with the activity.

Bottom Line: You don’t have to suffer in silence. Help is available. If you suffer from urinary incontinence or other problems “down there”, see your doctor.

For more information on “down there”, I recommend my book, What’s Going On Down There- Improve Your Pelvic Health, available from Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/Whats-Going-Down-There-Siddighi/dp/1477140220/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1442165577&sr=8-13&keywords=What%27s+Going+On+Down+There)

What’s Going On Down There-Improve Your Pelvic Health (amazon.com)

Kegel Your Way To Treating Urinary Incontinence

Urinary incontinence affects millions of American women. Certainly there are medications and surgery that can help control the problem. However, first line treatment is often natural methods and exercises to help with women suffering from urinary incontinence.

Many people don’t realize it, but physiotherapy is a really effective, low-risk treatment for urinary incontinence. Here is how physiotherapy can help you.

Physiotherapy is one of the best and most effective treatments for urinary incontinence. Not only is it a low-risk solution, but a good physiotherapist can help you retrain your bladder and strengthen your pelvic floor muscles to help resolve the problem.
Depending on the different types of urinary incontinence, there are many different exercises and ways in which physiotherapy is beneficial. Leaking isn’t just a symptom of a weak pelvic floor, it could also be a sign of muscles that are too tight as a result of knots in the pelvic floor, endometriosis or even constipation. This is why a full assessment is vital.
1. Stress incontinence: This refers to the involuntary need to urinate when there is increased intra-abdominal pressure – such as coughing, jumping or running. The pelvic floor muscles are not being used properly to keep the bladder closed when it is subjected to pressure.
2. Urge incontinence: Also known as an overactive bladder, this is characterized by an overwhelming need to urinate and the involuntary passing of urine because of this. Sometimes this can be triggered by something as small as hearing running water or seeing the toilet.
3. Mixed incontinence: This is a combination of both forms.
A physiotherapist should be able to diagnose the type of incontinence following a short examination which includes obtaining details about your bladder control, your health history including any surgeries or pregnancies, your diet and your current lifestyle.
The ultimate goal of physiotherapy is to help you regain control of your bladder, and is primarily focused on the pelvic floor muscles and how to tighten or relax them so that they function properly to keep you dry.

Exercises and treatments
Behavioral modification, which involves re-learning how to go to the toilet and learning how to effectively empty the bladder. Simple as it sounds, she says some incontinence issues stem from bad toilet-going habits such as pre-emptive urination (going to the toilet when you don’t actually need to), as well as straining excessively when on the toilet. Both put unnecessary pressure on the bladder and weaken it over time.
Pelvic Floor Exercises are probably the most well known forms of exercise for pelvic dysfunction. This involves a conscious tightening of the muscle around the anus, vagina and front passage to “lift it up” and inwards without clenching the buttocks. These can either be done in a slow-squeeze and hold or a fast squeeze with no hold. Both are most commonly known as Kegel exercises and are designed to strengthen the pelvic floor.
Neuromuscular stimulation is another method used which activates nerves and their associated muscles. In the case of incontinence, an internal probe with light electrical currents is applied to the pelvic floor to stimulate the nerves and cause muscle contractions with the aim of teaching the correct action and use of the pelvic floor muscles or calming of overactive nerve responses.
Weighted vaginal cones are plastic, cone-shaped devices which the physiotherapist inserts into the vagina to help exercise the pelvic floor muscles. Weights can be added to them or removed and they work by gradually stretching the vaginal opening as the cone drops lower. This stimulates the pelvic floor to contract and tighten up to try and hold the cone in place. It’s the sensation of falling out which triggers a contraction to keep it in.
Bladder retraining literally means retraining the bladder how to work. Although bladder training can take at least six weeks before it has a noticeable effect, many people find it a successful endeavor.
Tips for training the bladder:
– Don’t pee “just in case”: Try to wait a little longer when you feel the need to urinate, which will stretch the bladder and encourage it to hold bigger volumes.
– Keep calm: When the urge to go appears, try to sit down and hold a pelvic floor contraction hard enough to prevent leaking for as long as you are able, allowing the “desperate urge” to pass, and buying you a few more minutes.
– Keep hydrated: Don’t restrict your fluid intake as this will only result in stronger urine, which will only irritate the bladder. If you wake to go to the loo during the night, however, limit your liquid intake two hours before bed.
– Limit caffeine and alcohol: Some bladders react negatively to caffeine and alcohol and limiting your intake of these substances may reduce your need to urinate.

Bottom Line: Urinary incontinence can almost always be controlled and in some cases actually cured. Help is available. Speak to your doctor.

Bladder Symptoms-Stop Depending On Depends!

Millions of American women suffer from urinary bladder problems. Unfortunately, they suffer in silence as women feel too embarrassed to discuss their symptoms with their physicians. This article will discuss the common symptoms of bladder control and what can be done about it that doesn’t require a diaper or Depends.
Share

The involuntary leaking of urine is a distressing symptom which is associated with loss of confidence, self esteem, relationship difficulties and sometimes depression. Some women deal with the situation by avoiding socializing with family and friends, wearing dark clothes and frequently changing their clothing, using scents, sanitary pads and even diapers.
Bladder difficulties can affect all age groups, but are more common in middle age and older women. It is likely that as many as one in five women experience incontinence at some stage in their lives. Approximately 70 per cent of urinary incontinence sufferers tolerate the symptoms and those who seek medical help wait for an average of four years because of embarrassment, shame and stigma.

Talking about these symptoms is difficult but women do not need to feel reluctant about seeking help as so many women can be effectively treated without surgery.

The biggest risk factor for women is damage to the pelvic floor especially related to pregnancy and child birth. Other conditions include extreme sports, chronic coughing and heavy lifting. Contributing causes include obesity, smoking and drugs that affect the bladder or the muscle that holds urine inside the bladder.
There are two main types of incontinence: stress and urge. Urine loss in the stress type is preceded by increasing the pressure within the abdomen such as occurs with laughing, sneezing, or coughing. Women experiencing urge incontinence have a compelling urge to pass urine, which is impossible to control and causes leaking.

Treatment can start with measures, which do not involve medication, but can be followed by pharmacotherapy if the conservative measure are not effective.

Initially patients are advised to decrease the intake of caffeine and carbonated drinks, smoking and avoiding constipation.
Pelvic floor exercises or Kegel exercises, are the recommended first line treatment for stress, mixed and urgency incontinence and result in significant improvement in up to 80 per cent of cases. Bladder training and electrical stimulation are other effective ways of treating incontinence.

Bottom Line: Wearing a diaper to staying at home because of the loss of urine, is not acceptable to most women who suffer from incontinence. It doesn’t have to be that way. See your doctor and he\she can often find a solution that will make you dry, comfortable, and lead you to a healthy lifestyle.

A Two-Minute Solution To Solving Your Lack of Orgasms

If asked the young women readers, if I could give you a pill that would reduce your loss of urine, improve the muscle and strength in your pelvis and increase your chances of reaching an orgasm, would you like a prescription? Every woman I ask about this medication always says yes they would like a prescription. Now if I told them, it wasn’t a pill but it was a simple exercise that they could do for just two minutes a day, that they could do anywhere, at almost any time, which would accomplish those above objectives many of the women would say no, not interested. How about writing for that pill?

Let me introduce you to Kegel exercises. Kegel exercises are an easy way of strengthening both your vaginal wall muscles and the muscles that control urination and bowel movements (which can also reduce the effects of urinary incontinence.

Older women and women who have had children are especially at risk of weakened pelvic floor muscles.

All you have to do is contract and release the muscles in the pelvic area, squeezing them for 5-10 seconds and then relaxing for 5 seconds each time.

The most important thing is to locate the muscles you’re trying to strengthen, and to get used to the sensation of exercising them. The best way of doing this is to try to stop your urine mid-flow when you go to the restroom. If you do this successfully then you’ve found the muscles you’re looking for.

I suggest that you repeat the cycle of contracting and relaxing ten times per session, and try to fit in three sessions per day which should take you just two minutes. This shouldn’t be difficult as, going to the gym, using weights, doing push-ups or lunges. Honestly, these exercises can be done anywhere, at anytime, without anyone even realizing you’re doing them.

If done properly, you should notice a difference (enhanced sensation during sex and less leakage) in 4-6 weeks.

According to sex experts, it’s not just women who can benefit from Kegel exercises: “Pelvic floor exercises can also benefit men with problems such as erectile dysfunction (difficulty getting or keeping an erection), premature ejaculation, or difficulty with urination.

Bottom Line: A Kegel a day may just keep the doctor away and put a little zing in your sex life. Try it for a few weeks and if you aren’t completely satisfied, I’ll refund your money! ☺

For more information on Kegel exercises go to my website:

http://neilbaum.com/articles/pelvic-exercises-for-women-kegel-exercise

or go to YouTube.com for a video on the same subject

Urinary Incontinence-Don’t Suffer In Silence

Urinary incontinence is one of life’s most embarrassing problems. Millions of American women suffer from incontinence in silence. I see dozens of women every month with this problem and so many of them have been wearing pads and diapers for years because they were too embarrassed to bring up the problem with their physician. This blog will discuss the problem and why it is important to see a physician to get treatment.

There are millions of people who deal with the embarrassing and disruptive effects of urinary incontinence, yet it’s a health secret that is rarely discussed. Contrary to what a lot of people think, urinary incontinence is not a normal sign of aging. Yes, it is more common in older men and women but you don’t have to live with the problem as treatments are available.

There are several reasons for urinary incontinence, but for women, one of the most common is weakened muscles in the pelvic floor.
A woman’s body goes through many changes during a lifetime and weakness or injury to muscles in the pelvic floor can cause health issues for women of all ages. The group of muscles in the pelvic floor can be affected by aging, childbirth, posture or injury. This loss of support of the pelvic muscles can result in incontinence, pelvic pain, or pain with intercourse.

Weakened pelvic floor muscles can be strengthened with Kegel exercises. (see my website, http://www.neilbaum.com, for more information on Kegel exercises). For the problem of urgency and frequency and urge incontinence or overactive bladder, there are effective medications to treat this condition. Finally, for women with both kinds of incontinence due to weakened pelvic muscles, they can be treated successfully with physical therapy.

If you answer yes to any of these questions, you should speak to your physician as help is available:
Do you usually get a strong urge to urinate?
Do you always make it to the bathroom on time?
Do you leak urine when you sneeze or cough?
Do you leak urine during physical activity?
Do you get up more than once per night to urinate?
Do you feel heaviness in the pelvic area?

Bottom Line: If you’ve been keeping urinary incontinence a secret, you’re not alone. You don’t have to accept it. Help is available. Talk to your doctor.

Bladder Symptoms-Stop Depending On Depends!

Millions of American women suffer from urinary bladder problems. Unfortunately, they suffer in silence as women feel too embarrassed to discuss their symptoms with their physicians. This article will discuss the common symptoms of bladder control and what can be done about it that doesn’t require a diaper or Depends.
Share

The involuntary leaking of urine is a distressing symptom which is associated with loss of confidence, self esteem, relationship difficulties and sometimes depression. Some women deal with the situation by avoiding socializing with family and friends, wearing dark clothes and frequently changing their clothing, using scents, sanitary pads and even diapers.
Bladder difficulties can affect all age groups, but are more common in middle age and older women. It is likely that as many as one in five women experience incontinence at some stage in their lives. Approximately 70 per cent of urinary incontinence sufferers tolerate the symptoms and those who seek medical help wait for an average of four years because of embarrassment, shame and stigma.

Talking about these symptoms is difficult but women do not need to feel reluctant about seeking help as so many women can be effectively treated without surgery.

The biggest risk factor for women is damage to the pelvic floor especially related to pregnancy and child birth. Other conditions include extreme sports, chronic coughing and heavy lifting. Contributing causes include obesity, smoking and drugs that affect the bladder or the muscle that holds urine inside the bladder.
There are two main types of incontinence: stress and urge. Urine loss in the stress type is preceded by increasing the pressure within the abdomen such as occurs with laughing, sneezing, or coughing. Women experiencing urge incontinence have a compelling urge to pass urine, which is impossible to control and causes leaking.

Treatment can start with measures, which do not involve medication, but can be followed by pharmacotherapy if the conservative measure are not effective.

Initially patients are advised to decrease the intake of caffeine and carbonated drinks, smoking and avoiding constipation.
Pelvic floor exercises or Kegel exercises, are the recommended first line treatment for stress, mixed and urgency incontinence and result in significant improvement in up to 80 per cent of cases. Bladder training and electrical stimulation are other effective ways of treating incontinence.

Bottom Line: Wearing a diaper to staying at home because of the loss of urine, is not acceptable to most women who suffer from incontinence. It doesn’t have to be that way. See your doctor and he\she can often find a solution that will make you dry, comfortable, and lead you to a healthy lifestyle.

Treatment of Incontinence With Confidence

Incontinence is devastating problem that impacts millions of American men and women. Although diapers are acceptable in toddlers, it is not very acceptable in middle aged and older men and women. This blog will discuss the common problem of urinary incontinence and what are some of the solutions for this common urologic problem.

Do you visit the bathroom more than usual? Or worse, do you not make it on time to the bathroom because your bladder is out of control? This is nothing to be ashamed of, and can be solved if addressed properly.

Urinary incontinence is a common problem resulting in the loss of bladder control. The severity ranges from occasionally leaking urine when you cough or sneeze to having an urge to urinate that is so sudden and strong you do not get to a toilet in time.

If urinary incontinence affects your daily activities, then the person must visit the doctor. The earlier rehabilitation techniques are started, the lesser the complications and the better the results.

There are different reasons for urinary incontinence but the main reason for women is pregnancy and child birth.

Pregnancy puts pressure on the bladder and the urethra and normal delivery further weakens the muscles needed for bladder control. Women who have had a C-section are less prone to face this problem but in many cases pregnancy itself can affect the muscles which causes urinary incontinence after delivering the baby.

Worldwide 25 per cent of women above 40 years and 40 per cent of women above 65 years have urinary incontinence.

A high percentage of these women are prone to urinary incontinence due to multiple pregnancies and childbirth. However, despite providing women with educational leaflets during their pregnancy and carrying other awareness activities, not everyone with the problem seeks medical assistance.

The problem is more common in women that give birth to babies that weigh 8 pounds or more and in patients that have a complicated or prolonged labor.

I recommend that all women practice pelvic exercises, which are important to tighten these muscles. Exercises such as Kegels are now getting popular and more women are aware of it.

Other reasons for incontinence include ageing and menopause, obesity, neurological causes, and diabetes. After menopause women are more prone to incontinence as there is loss of estrogen hormone which has a direct effect on the bladder and the muscles supporting it.

Treatment

One form of treatment is lifestyle modification. Certain drinks and foods act as diuretics, these include alcohol, coffee, decaffeinated tea and coffee, carbonated drinks, artificial sweeteners, foods high in spice or sugar. We ask women to reduce the intake of these foods and drinks.

Another option is to reduce the bladder irritants. These foods and fluids cause urinary frequency, urgency, and urinary incontinence. A complete list of bladder irritants is shown at the end of this blog.

Diabetic patients are asked to keep their sugar in control, and obese patients are put on a diet. Physiotherapy is another method to manage the disease. Bladder training and pelvic floor exercises such as Kegels are taught to patients to be performed at home on a daily basis.

In some causes electrical stimulation is performed, said the doctor. Gentle electrical stimulation can be effective in some types of incontinence and one may need multiple sessions over a period of few months, in addition to exercises.

Bottom Line: You don’t have to suffer incontinence in silence. Help is available. See your doctor.

List of Common Bladder Irritants*

Citrus fruit
Coffee (including decaffeinated)
Cranberries and cranberry juice
Grapes
Guava
Milk Products: milk, cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt, ice cream
Peaches
Pineapple
Plums
Strawberries
Sugar especially artificial sweeteners, saccharin, aspartame, corn sweeteners, honey, fructose, sucrose, lactose Tea
Tomatoes and tomato juice
Vitamin B complex
Vinegar
*Most people are not sensitive to ALL of these products; your goal is to find the foods that make YOUR symptoms worse

Urinary Incontinence- You Are Not Alone and You Don’t Have To Suffer In Silence

I am writing this blog to let you know that incontinence is common in middle aged and older women. One in four women struggle at least occasionally with incontinence. One in five people over 40 deal with an overactive bladder or inability to control the urge and reach the toilet in a timely fashion. One in three women over 80 are incontinent.

Unfortunately many doctors don’t raise the issue with patients during visits, and many patients are uncomfortable of bringing up the subject with their healthcare provider.

The critical valves in a woman’s pelvis seem to become a problem as we age. As women age they get leaky valves in the colon, heart, and the lower urinary tract. The quality of the supporting tissues and structures fail as women get older. It fails as women have other types of treatments. Neurologically, things can fail. In this country, one of the problems we have is morbid obesity and that certainly increases the risk of urinary incontinence, leakage.

For most women with urinary incontinence there are almost always conservative options that don’t involve surgery.

Often very simple lifestyle changes can help patients tremendously, without any invasive therapy, without any medication, without any surgeries.

It begins with the diet. There are certain foods that are irritative to the lower urinary tract. The most common culprits are alcohol, caffeine, spicy food, acidic food.

Next are exercises: Doing pelvic floor exercises, Kegel exercises, for both men and women, can be helpful.

Are there medical and surgical options and when do those come into play?  Yes, there are medications for treating overactive bladder.

Surgical options are something that are considred after they’ve failed conservative therapies.

The most important thing in this population is improving quality of life, and in order to get at that, your doctor needs to look at the entire person. Patients need to understand that they need to get involved in long-term exercise routines and dietary modification will be helpful.

Most of incontinence is not life-threatening, but if people leak and they can’t see, and they’re up in the middle of the night and they fall, the mortality rates are high.

Bottom Line:  Urinary incontinence is a common condition that impacts the quality of life of millions of American women.  Help is available and often conservative treatments will control the problem.  For more information consult with your gynecologist or your urologist.

Treating urinary incontinence-Don’t Be Pampered by Pampers

Many women experience incontinence after childbirth. Fortunately, most women have a temporary problem that usually subsides with time. However, there some women that have a persistent problem that lasts for a longer period of time.

After nine months of pregnancy and a rollercoaster of experiences with a changing body, it’s easy to chalk up bladder leaks after delivery to one more outcome of childbirth. While that’s true for many women, other conditions could be responsible for urinary incontinence —the inability to control the release of urine from one’s bladder —if a woman is having difficulties controlling urination two months post pregnancy or more.

The problem is common and nothing to be embarrassed about since many new moms experience urinary incontinence after baby’s arrival.

The condition is caused by the stretching and tearing of supporting structures including ligaments, tendons, nerves and muscles, resulting in a weakened pelvic floor. The extent of the stretching or tearing varies in each person. Incontinence often resolves itself within a couple months after delivering the baby when the structures have repaired themselves naturally.

According to the National Association for Continence, approximately 25 million adult Americans experience temporary or chronic urinary incontinence. UI can strike at any age, although women over age 50 are the most likely to develop the condition. In many cases, UI is often temporary—such as during or after pregnancy for a short while — or results from an underlying medical condition.

The most common form of incontinence in women post pregnancy is stress incontinence, which consists of losing urine when pressure is exerted on the bladder by coughing, sneezing, laughing, exercising or lifting something heavy. Another common form of urinary incontinence post pregnancy is known as urge incontinence —described as an intense urge to urinate, followed by an involuntary loss of urine. Many women will experience a mixture of both forms, which medical professionals refer to as mixed incontinence.

Urinary incontinence can affect a woman in many different ways. It’s more than just an awkward issue that makes it hard to not leak urine. The impact of incontinence on a woman’s personal life can be distressing. Women often avoid going out because they are embarrassed by their frequent bathroom usage. The problem can greatly affect a woman’s sex life, especially when suffering from stress incontinence. Many patients will talk to providers about the changes in relationships that take place in their intimate lives as a result of urinary incontinence.

Women with incontinence have to rearrange their lives. They have to buy pads, which can be expensive. It can irritate their skin. They are all emotionally challenging things to deal with especially after just having a baby. It has added to the stress of having a baby in general.

There are several different ways to treat urinary incontinence.

The most important thing is to allow the muscles to repair themselves. While some cases of urinary incontinence will disappear a few weeks after a woman gives birth, women should seek medical treatment if they are still experiencing leakage after two months.

Pelvic floor exercises, commonly known as Kegal exercises, can often improve urinary incontinence. The exercises strengthen the urinary sphincter and the muscles that help control urination. A physical therapist or professional recommended by a physician can provide insight on whether a patient is properly contracting muscles to help improve the condition.

I also recommend keeping a bladder diary for those dealing with urinary incontinence, which can help normalize fluid intake. Often times women, out of wanting to remain hydrated, can drink several liters more than is necessary causing their bladders to remain over filled. A bladder diary can help to realize this problem, she says.

Another option available to treat urinary incontinence is what’s known as a vaginal pessary. The device can be put in the vagina to support the structures that help prevent urinary continence. The device can serve as a bridge to allow activities like walks and hikes while a woman rehabilitates her muscles.

It takes only one baby for the problem to occur, and the subject of urinary incontinence should not be taboo. I suggest that women ask their physicians about the problem

Bottom line: Urinary incontinence is common after childbirth. Most women will have the problem resolve without any treatment. If the problem persists after several months, then medical attention is recommended.