If you notice something wrong with your bladder control, schedule a visit with your doctor. Typically, your doctor will ask you about your symptoms such as:
- How often you empty your bladder
- How and when you leak urine
- How much urine you leak
A physical exam will be followed to to look for signs of health problems that can cause incontinence. Your doctor also will do a test to figure out how well your bladder works and how much it can hold. For this test, you will drink water and urinate into a measuring pan. The doctor will then measure any urine still in the bladder. Your doctor may ask you to write down when you empty your bladder and how much urine you produce for a day or a week. Mostly this should be sufficient. However, your doctor also may order other tests such as:
- Bladder stress test — During this test, you will cough or bear down as the doctor watches for loss of urine.
- Urinalysis — A urinalysis tests your urine for signs of infection or other causes of incontinence.
- Ultrasound — Sound waves are used to take a picture of the kidneys, bladder, and urethra.
- Cystoscopy — A doctor places a thin tube connected to a tiny camera in the urethra to look at the inside of the urethra and bladder.
- Urodynamics — A doctor places a thin tube into your bladder and your bladder is filled with water. The doctor then measures the pressure in the bladder.
Source: Office on Women’s Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Posted in: Bladder Control, Incontinence, Urinary Incontinence in Women.
Tagged: bladder control problems · Incontinence in Women · Loss of Bladder Control · Women's incontinence problem
Our bladder is designed to hold urine. Many people with bladder control problems hide the problem from everyone. They won’t even tell their doctors about it. But this is not a uncommon problems, men, women, young, and old can all have it. It might even be cured. You don’t need to suffer in silence ff you are having bladder control problems. It’s estimated that 10-40 percent of women have it. So feel free to talk to your doctor.
There’s another name for loss of bladder control, it is also called urinary incontinence. There are many reasons why people get it. Typical symptoms of bladder control problems are leaking urine when you exercise, laugh, cough, sneeze or lift heavy objects; you can’t hold urine for very long; your bladder is always full.
See your doctor and tell him or her if you have these symptoms.
Source: National Institute on Aging
Posted in: Bladder Control, Urinary Incontinence in Women, urinary incontinence.
Tagged: bladder control problems · Incontinence in Women · Loss of Bladder Control · urinary incontinence · urinary leakage · urinary system
Most people think older men tend to have incontinence problems. The truth is, many women have it too. Urinary incontinence, also know as loss of bladder control or leakage, or UI. It happens when urine leaks out before you make it to the bathroom. Millions of women have this problem, especially as they get older. It is mostly caused by weakened bladder muscles.
Posted in: Bladder Control, Urinary Incontinence in Women, urinary incontinence.
Tagged: bladder control problems · Incontinence in Women · Loss of Bladder Control · urinary incontinence · urinary leakage
If you notice that you have urinary incontinence symptoms, talk to your doctor. There’s no need to feel embarrassed about. In fact, there are more people who have it than you think. Why would there be incontinence guards package on the shelves in the grocery isle if it weren’t necessary. The good news is that there are many ways to treat UI. Your doctor will work with you to find the best treatment for you. The typical treatments include
- Behavioral treatments
- Medicines for bladder control
- Devices
- Nerve stimulation
- Biofeedback
- Surgery
- Catheterization
It’s hard to find out one treatment is better than the others. It all depends on your doctors and your condition and life style. UI is an inconvenient health issue, however, it’s not the worst problem.
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Posted in: Bladder Control, Incontinence, urinary incontinence.
Tagged: Incontinence in Women · UI treatment options · urinary incontinence · Urinary Incontinence in Men · ways to treat UI
If you have an overactive bladder, your doctor may prescribe a medicine to block the nerve signals that cause frequent urination and urgency.
Several medicines from a class of drugs called anticholinergics can help relax bladder muscles and prevent bladder spasms. Their most common side effect is dry mouth, although larger doses may cause blurred vision, constipation, a faster heartbeat, and flushing. Other side effects include drowsiness, confusion, or memory loss. If you have glaucoma, ask your ophthalmologist if these drugs are safe for you.
Some medicines can affect the nerves and muscles of the urinary tract in different ways. Pills to treat swelling (edema) or high blood pressure may increase your urine output and contribute to bladder control problems. Talk with your doctor; you may find that taking an alternative to a medicine you already take may solve the problem without adding another prescription.
Scientists are studying other drugs and injections that have not yet received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for incontinence to see if they are effective treatments for people who were unsuccessful with behavioral therapy or pills.
Source: National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse
Posted in: Bladder Control, Urinary Incontinence in Women.
Tagged: bladder control problems · Incontinence in Women · Medicines for Overactive Bladder
The first step is to find the right muscles. One way to find them is to imagine that you are sitting on a marble and want to pick up the marble with your vagina. Imagine sucking or drawing the marble into your vagina.
Try not to squeeze other muscles at the same time. Be careful not to tighten your stomach, legs, or buttocks. Squeezing the wrong muscles can put more pressure on your bladder control muscles. Just squeeze the pelvic muscles. Don’t hold your breath. Do not practice while urinating.
Repeat, but don’t overdo it. At first, find a quiet spot to practice—your bathroom or bedroom—so you can concentrate. Pull in the pelvic muscles and hold for a count of three. Then relax for a count of three. Work up to three sets of 10 repeats. Start doing your pelvic muscle exercises lying down. This is the easiest position to do them in because the muscles do not need to work against gravity. When your muscles get stronger, do your exercises sitting or standing. Working against gravity is like adding more weight.
Be patient. Don’t give up. It takes just 5 minutes a day. You may not feel your bladder control improve for 3 to 6 weeks. Still, most people do notice an improvement after a few weeks.
Some people with nerve damage cannot tell whether they are doing Kegel exercises correctly. If you are not sure, ask your doctor or nurse to examine you while you try to do them. If it turns out that you are not squeezing the right muscles, you may still be able to learn proper Kegel exercises by doing special training with biofeedback, electrical stimulation, or both.
Source: Reprinted with permission from the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse
Posted in: Bladder Control, Urinary Incontinence in Women.
Tagged: Incontinence in Women · Kegel exercises
By looking at your bladder diary, the doctor may see a pattern and suggest making it a point to use the bathroom at regular timed intervals, a habit called timed voiding. As you gain control, you can extend the time between scheduled trips to the bathroom. Behavioral treatment also includes Kegel exercises to strengthen the muscles that help hold in urine.
Source: National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse
Posted in: Bladder Control, Urinary Incontinence in Women.
Tagged: Bladder Retraining · Incontinence in Women
The first step toward relief is to see a doctor who has experience treating incontinence to learn what type you have. A urologist specializes in the urinary tract, and some urologists further specialize in the female urinary tract. Gynecologists and obstetricians specialize in the female reproductive tract and childbirth. A urogynecologist focuses on urinary and associated pelvic problems in women. Family practitioners and internists see patients for all kinds of health conditions. Any of these doctors may be able to help you. In addition, some nurses and other health care providers often provide rehabilitation services and teach behavioral therapies such as fluid management and pelvic floor strengthening.
To diagnose the problem, your doctor will first ask about symptoms and medical history. Your pattern of voiding and urine leakage may suggest the type of incontinence you have. Thus, many specialists begin with having you fill out a bladder diary over several days. These diaries can reveal obvious factors that can help define the problem—including straining and discomfort, fluid intake, use of drugs, recent surgery, and illness. Often you can begin treatment at the first medical visit.
Your doctor may instruct you to keep a diary for a day or more—sometimes up to a week—to record when you void. This diary should note the times you urinate and the amounts of urine you produce. To measure your urine, you can use a special pan that fits over the toilet rim. You can also use the bladder diary to record your fluid intake, episodes of urine leakage, and estimated amounts of leakage.
If your diary and medical history do not define the problem, they will at least suggest which tests you need.
Your doctor will physically examine you for signs of medical conditions causing incontinence, including treatable blockages from bowel or pelvic growths. In addition, weakness of the pelvic floor leading to incontinence may cause a condition called prolapse, where the vagina or bladder begins to protrude out of your body. This condition is also important to diagnose at the time of an evaluation.
Your doctor may measure your bladder capacity. The doctor may also measure the residual urine for evidence of poorly functioning bladder muscles. To do this, you will urinate into a measuring pan, after which the nurse or doctor will measure any urine remaining in the bladder. Your doctor may also recommend other tests:
- Bladder stress test—You cough vigorously as the doctor watches for loss of urine from the urinary opening.
- Urinalysis and urine culture—Laboratory technicians test your urine for evidence of infection, urinary stones, or other contributing causes.
- Ultrasound—This test uses sound waves to create an image of the kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra.
- Cystoscopy—The doctor inserts a thin tube with a tiny camera in the urethra to see inside the urethra and bladder.
- Urodynamics—Various techniques measure pressure in the bladder and the flow of urine.
Source: National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse
Posted in: Urinary Incontinence in Women.
Tagged: incontinence evaluated · Incontinence in Women
People with medical problems that interfere with thinking, moving, or communicating may have trouble reaching a toilet. A person with Alzheimer’s disease, for example, may not think well enough to plan a timely trip to a restroom. A person in a wheelchair may have a hard time getting to a toilet in time. Functional incontinence is the result of these physical and medical conditions. Conditions such as arthritis often develop with age and account for some of the incontinence of elderly women in nursing homes.
Source: National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse
Posted in: Urinary Incontinence in Women, urinary incontinence.
Tagged: bladder control problems · Functional Incontinence · Incontinence in Women · Loss of Bladder Control
Overactive bladder occurs when abnormal nerves send signals to the bladder at the wrong time, causing its muscles to squeeze without warning. Voiding up to seven times a day is normal for many women, but women with overactive bladder may find that they must urinate even more frequently.
Specifically, the symptoms of overactive bladder include
- urinary frequency—bothersome urination eight or more times a day or two or more times at night
- urinary urgency—the sudden, strong need to urinate immediately
- urge incontinence—leakage or gushing of urine that follows a sudden, strong urge
- nocturia—awaking at night to urinate
Source: National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse
Posted in: Bladder Control, Incontinence, Urinary Incontinence in Women.
Tagged: bladder control problems · Incontinence in Women · Overactive Bladder