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Menopause can bring uncomfortable symptoms such as incontinence in several different forms. Even younger women experience occasional bouts of urinary leakage during pregnancy, after childbirth, and sometimes even during sex. But menses seems to bring out more occasions of uncontrollable incontinence.
This inability to control your bladder can happen when you put pressure on yourself by wrenching your gut due to laughing or yelling, sneezing and coughing. The condition worsens if your bladder is full. Incontinence can also feel like a strong, uncontrollable urge to pass urine resulting in continuous leakage. Sometimes the sound of running water can trigger this urge.
There is also overflow incontinence. No matter how many times you frequent the restroom and urinate, there are always some urine leaked. This is a result of function of the nerve supply to the bladder being impaired and the consequence is a distended bladder that leak when over filled. Women with this condition do not feel the urge top ass urine. Delaying the need to pass urine can cause this type of incontinence.
If you experience continuous incontinence, there is leakage of urine more or less all of the time without warning. Although this type is uncommon it is caused by abnormalities in the urinary tract which may be congenital or resulting from childbirth, or from surgery such as hysterectomy and medical treatments such as radiation.
Bouts of incontinence can also be due to menopause, specifically hormonal imbalances. Producing less can cause the lining of the bladder to weaken, causing irreparable control of bladder movement. The older we get, the harder it is for us to hold back our urine - bladders get weaker and reaction times become slower.
Depending on the type of incontinence you are experiencing, your doctor may recommend from several types of treatment. Antibiotics are sometimes required to treat infection. Drugs can be taken that control abnormal bladder contractions or to create contraction in an over distended bladder.
Balancing your hormones with either HRT or natural, bioidentical replacement therapy can significantly relieve stress incontinence. And, of course there are the traditional pelvic floor exercises and kegels to strengthen the muscles surrounding the urethra and vagina. In more severe cases, surgery may be required or electrical stimulation of the muscles around the bladder. This is definitely one your need to work out with your doctor.
The information in this article is for educational purposes only, and is not intended as medical advice.
There are a lot of helpful measures that you can take in order to prevent urinary incontinence. Maintaining adequate hydration is important to controlling incontinence. If you drink approximately two liters of water everyday you can reduce the chances of having a urinary tract infection. Drinking other fluids can also be helpful as long as hydration is maintained. You should avoid drinking alcohol, soft drinks, coffee and tea as these are diuretics and can encourage incontinence.
Incontinence may accompany constipation. You can prevent constipation by taking in adequate fluids and by eating a high fiber diet. The high fiber diet helps your system to be cleansed, including your digestion. This will help prevent constipation. Regular exercise is helpful and it keeps your body in good condition.
It is important to watch your weight. Obesity can increase the pressure in your abdomen and in turn on your bladder. Keeping a normal body weight by exercising regularly and eating a well-balanced diet will reduce the chances of incontinence.
You must practice bladder training. You can do this by emptying your bladder frequently at 2-3 hour intervals. This will improve your control so that you will not have that uncomfortable feeling. Also try exercises when you pee by holding the urine stream for a count of three, urinating for the count of three and then holding again.
Your clothes must be comfortable as well. Wearing simple clothing like trousers that are stretchable or have an elastic waist band will help. Sometimes, the clothes you wear contribute to incontinence. So your choice of clothes must be perfect and appropriate.
Do regular pelvic floor exercises so that your muscle power is strengthened and you will be able to restore voiding control. If you exercise your pelvic muscle group regularly, incontinence may be controlled.
Improve your home's environment in order to ensure an easy access to the toilet. You can also use a commode inside the bedroom if necessary.
Incontinence is very common in older men and women. It's a condition that affects women more than men. Controlling the causes of incontinence will reduce the discomfort in your daily life. Drugs and surgery can help treat the condition and people with incontinence can also take some vital steps on their own.
If caffeine intake is reduced, incontinence can be controlled.
Caffeine stimulates and irritates the bladder and it can cause urgent and frequent urination and can also increase the production of urine. Those individuals who drink more than two caffeinated drinks a day should reduce their intake in order to avoid symptoms of withdrawal such as sleepiness and headache.
Remember not to cut your intake of water or other liquids thinking that the urge to urinate will be lessened. This might cause dehydration and may cause future illnesses. The urine may become concentrated which can result in bladder infections, foul-smelling urine, bladder urgency, and more. If you practice this, remember that it will not help. Control and prevent the signs of incontinence so that you have a better life.