As odd as it may seem, capsaicin, the active component of chili peppers, may actually help some women with their urinary incontinence symptoms. This is odd because women suffering from urinary leakage are told to stay away from spicy foods … and that is good advice.However, recent studies show that capsaicin can actually help urinary leakage symptoms by desensitizing certain bladder nerves. This in turn reduces involuntary bladder leakage and, in some women, has been shown to increase bladder capacity.
That’s the good news. The bad news is that capsaicin, which is administered directly into the bladder, can actually worsen bladder and urine leakage symptoms temporarily. Luckily, there is a capsaicin analog called resiniferatoxin, which does not cause the same irritating response while still producing the same positive effects.
The use of capsaicin and its analog are still in the experimental phases of study, but you never know if and when it could become yet another conservative therapy that may help you deal with your women’s urinary incontinence symptoms.
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