About this topic
The body stores urine in the bladder. Muscles in the bladder get tighter when you are trying to empty your bladder. This moves the urine through a tube called the urethra. The urethra muscles relax and the urine passes out of your body. Urinary incontinence is the loss of bladder control. You cannot control the passing of urine. Loss of urine control may happen when your bladder muscles are too weak or too active. You may have urine leakage when you cough or sneeze. Other times, you may leak when you have a very strong urge to pass urine. Your leakage could also be caused by some other health problem. ‚
Treatment is based on what is causing your problem. You may need drugs, therapy, or perhaps surgery. Incontinence is very common in women and older people. ‚
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What care is needed at home?
- Ask your doctor what you need to do when you go home. Make sure you ask questions if you do not understand what you need to do.
- Ask your doctor about bladder training. Bladder training may include ways to help you control your incontinence. Some methods might be putting off passing your urine or making a schedule for bathroom trips.
- Do the Kegel exercises. Ask your doctor about how to do Kegels. Doing these exercise will help make the muscles of your bladder and bowel stronger.
- Keep a healthy weight. Lose weight if you are overweight. Losing weight will help lower the pressure on your bladder. Keeping a healthy weight may also help you get back some bladder control.
- Use absorbent diapers for urine leakage. Menstrual pads may also work.
What follow-up care is needed?
Your doctor may ask you to make visits to the office to check on your progress. Be sure to keep your visits. ‚
What drugs may be needed?
The doctor may order drugs to: ‚
- Treat incontinence
- Help with pain
- Fight an infection
Will physical activity be limited?
- You may have to limit your activity. You should not do physical activity that makes your health problem worse. You may not be able to run, work out, or lift heavy things until your health problem gets better. Ask your doctor about the right amount of activity for you.
- Talk to your doctor about when you can safely have sex again.
What changes to diet are needed?
- Eat high-fiber foods. Fiber may help you avoid hard stools. Use stool softeners if needed. Try to eat more whole grain foods and other food high in fiber. Eat many different fruits and vegetables. Fresh or frozen are best.
- Avoid foods that may bother your bladder. Some examples are citrus juice, tomatoes, grapefruit, and spicy foods. Also, avoid liquids with artificial sweeteners like soft drinks.
- Avoid beer, wine, and mixed drinks (alcohol). Avoid drinks that have caffeine such as coffee, tea, and sodas.
- Talk to your doctor about how much fluid you should drink.
What problems could happen?
- Urinary tract infections
- Skin infection on the area
When do I need to call the doctor?
- Signs of infection such as a fever of 100.4 ‚ °F (38 ‚ °C) or higher; chills; pain, burning, or trouble passing urine or feeling the urge to pass urine but not able to.
- You are not feeling better in 2 to 3 days or you are feeling worse
Teach Back: Helping You Understand
The Teach Back Method helps you understand the information we are giving you. The idea is simple. After talking with the staff, tell them in your own words what you were just told. This helps to make sure the staff has covered each thing clearly. It also helps to explain things that may have been a bit confusing. Before going home, make sure you are able to do these: ‚
- I can tell you about my condition.
- I can tell you what may help with my incontinence.
- I can tell you what I will do if I have a fever, chills, or burning or trouble passing urine.
Where can I learn more?
FamilyDoctor.org ‚
http://familydoctor.org/familydoctor/en/diseases-conditions/urinary-incontinence.html ‚
National Institute of Health ‚
http://www.nia.nih.gov/health/publication/urinary-incontinence ‚
National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse ‚
http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/KUDiseases/pubs/uiwomen/index.aspx ‚
Consumer Information Use and Disclaimer
This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your health care provider. This is only a brief summary of general information. It does NOT include all information about conditions, illnesses, injuries, tests, procedures, treatments, therapies, discharge instructions or life-style choices that may apply to you. You must talk with your health care provider for complete information about your health and treatment options. This information should not be used to decide whether or not to accept your health care providers advice, instructions or recommendations. Only your health care provider has the knowledge and training to provide advice that is right for you. ‚
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Copyright ‚ © 2015 Clinical Drug Information, LLC and Lexi-Comp, Inc. ‚