Posts in category: Urinary Incontinence

If you leak urine, whether a little or a lot, chances are that you have asked yourself whether you are “normal” or not. Many women mistakenly assume that urinary incontinence is a “normal” part of aging.Guess what? Women’s urinary incontinence is NOT normal at any age. A healthy bladder does not leak urine. So if you are wondering whether you are “normal,” here are 5 questions to ask yourself:#1: Does your bladder function normally?
A healthy bladder can hold about 2 cups of fluid comfortably for 2 to 5 hours. Can your bladder do that?

#2: Did your women’s urinary incontinence start with menopause?
While urine leakage often accompanies menopause, it is not normal. Luckily, there are many medications and conservative options to help with urinary incontinence that occurs with menopause.

#3: Do you urinate more than 6 to 8 times daily?
If you have a healthy urinary system, you should urinate no more than 6 to 8 times per day. If you have to urinate more frequently, then you may be suffering from overactive bladder (OAB), also called urge urinary incontinence. You may wish to keep a voiding diary to track how many times a day you have to urinate. The results may surprise you.

#4: Are you “coping” well with your slight urine leakage?
Many women assume that if their urine leakage is slight and that they can cope with it using absorbent pads, they don’t have a problem. Unfortunately, any amount of urine leakage isn’t normal. Of course, all of us have experienced “wet panties” once in a while when we laugh way too hard. But if you leak urine regularly, then it’s time to call your doctor for help.

#5: Do you urinate “just in case”?
If you visit the bathroom before every movie or before sitting down to most meals “just in case” you might have to go later, you are practicing what is called “defensive voiding.” Defensive voiding is a sign of women’s urinary incontinence, and can be a sign of overactive bladder (OAB) or urge urinary incontinence. If so, talk to your doctor about conservative measures you can take so you don’t have to practice defensive voiding. You’ll find it quite a relief …plus you’ll enjoy movies and meals much more!

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With the array of herbal and botanical formulas on the market today for women’s urinary incontinence, there is a strong temptation to “go natural.”After all, what could be better than using products from nature to deal with women’s urinary incontinence?

There is certainly nothing wrong with using herbs and other natural products. The question is whether these products actually help with urine leakage symptoms, or simply are a waste of time and money.

The best way to discover the effectiveness of herbal products for improving urinary leakage issues to read scientific peer-reviewed studies of the products. Here are just a few products that have been reviewed by the scientific community, as opposed to simply tested by “in-house” teams employed by the companies that make the products.

A Review of 5 Natural Products for Women’s Urinary Incontinence
Some of the more common natural products that have been touted for improving urinary incontinence symptoms include pumpkin seeds, cornsilk, buchu, bromelain, and magnesium. Let’s see how these products act to improve women’s urinary incontinence.

#1: Pumpkin Seeds
Pumpkin seeds have actually been under significant clinical investigation for treating urinary incontinence. Studies have shown that certain ingredients in pumpkin seeds, including essential fatty acids and compounds like “phytoesterol,” do support a woman’s bladder, especially after menopause. In fact, in one study 75% of postmenopausal women taking pumpkin seeds achieved better bladder control after six weeks.

#2: Cornsilk
Corksilks are the long silky fibers found at the top of an ear of corn. High in flavonoids and polyphenols, both of which have anti-inflammatory properties, cornsilk is believed to reduce inflammation in the bladder. As a result, some women experience a reduced urge to urinate, especially if their urine leakage is related to inflammation.

#3: Buchu
Many herbalists currently prescribe this South American herb for recurring urinary tract infections and overall bladder health. Many doctors point out that urine leakage issues are often related to bladder inflammation, or even mild infections. Even mild inflammation of the bladder can cause a continuous urge to urinate and prevent you from completely emptying your bladder. Since buchu has mild antiseptic properties, it is believed that this herb prevents inflammation.

#4: Bromelain
Bromelain comes from the pineapple plant, and is commonly known to be an anti-inflammatory. As with some of the other herbs mentioned in this article, bromelain is believed to have a healing effect on bladder inflammation.

#5: Magnesium
Athletes know that magnesium is essential to muscle health, and studies indicate that people with Parkinson’s disease find relief from urine leakage symptoms when taking this supplement. Doctors also recognize that magnesium may be useful in controlling bladder spasms, which can cause incomplete emptying of the bladder. In addition, some women find that taking magnesium before bedtime can relieve nighttime wetting issues.

If you suffer from women’s urine incontinence, exploring all your options are key to finding relief. This can include the natural remedies mentioned in this article, medication, physical therapy, acupuncture, and even surgery. The point is that not all solutions work for all women, but there is a solution out there for your urinary incontinence issues. Keep looking until you find a solution that works for you!

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If you suffer from women’s urinary incontinence, you are probably wary about exercising in public. The embarrassment of a urine leakage accident occurring while you jog on a crowded public trail or ride an exercise bike at the gym can be enough to keep you at home!Unfortunately, avoiding workouts won’t really help your urine leakage problem. In fact, lack of exercise–and the resulting weight gain–can actually worsen your urinary leakage problems. That’s why it is important to deal with your urinary incontinence so that you can work out in a way that is comfortable for you. We have some tips that can empower you to return to the gym without fear of urinary leakage.

Five Ways to Cope with Urinary Incontinence While Exercising
There are many conservative measures you can take to prevent or minimize urinary leakage when you exercise. Here are five ways you can help yourself stay dry while you exercise.

Tip #1: Limit Fluid Intake
While it is important to stay hydrated when you exercise, limiting your fluid intake just before your exercise session can help prevent urine leakage. You are the best judge of how much fluid you need to drink before and during your workout to stay hydrated while preventing leakage accidents. Experiment with different levels of fluid intake until you see some level of improvement in your urinary incontinence symptoms. Normally, women need to drink between four and nine cups of water per day to stay hydrated.

Tip #2: Urinate Just Before Working Out
Emptying your bladder before your workout can go a long way toward preventing leakage accidents. You can go a step further by practicing double voiding. Double voiding means urinating until you feel that your bladder is empty. Then, wait a few seconds, and urinate again. This allows your bladder to empty completely, which can help prevent symptoms of urge urinary incontinence, which is also called overactive bladder.

Tip #3: Use a Tampon or Urethral Insert
Both tampons and urethral inserts increase pressure on the urethra and support the bladder. Both of these actions can help prevent urine leakage during while you exercise, especially if you suffer from stress urinary incontinence.

Tip #4: Use Absorbent Pads or Diapers
While this option seems unattractive for many women, since pads and diapers can be bulky and uncomfortable, you might be surprised at the advances in these products. Trying different absorbent products until you find the one that works for you may allow you to return to an active lifestyle without worrying about that embarrassing “wet panty” look. Check out the different kinds of absorbent products on the market today, and see which ones fit your needs.

Tip #5: Exercise Your Body Inside and Out
Being able to work out at the gym without urine leakage may depend on how regularly you exercise your inner muscles “down there.” Regularly exercising your pelvic floor muscles can keep you toned and fit internally, which prevents urine leakage. For the scoop on pelvic floor muscle contractions (also called Kegels) check out our free informational ebook.

Download the “What’s Up Down There” ebook here.

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If you are a woman with urinary incontinence, you can actually take steps to prevent or decrease urine leakage accidents. One of these steps is called “timed voiding.” As the name suggests, it means you urinate according to a schedule … or pee by the clock.Timed Voiding Alleviates Urinary Incontinence Symptoms
Timed voiding is one of the conservative therapies that doctors often recommend for women suffering from urge and mixed urinary incontinence. Timed voiding is part of the therapy called bladder retraining. There are two ways to practice timed voiding, or peeing by the clock.

Timed Voiding Method #1 for Women’s Urinary Incontinence
The whole point of timed voiding is to retrain your bladder so that you urinate when you choose to, not when your bladder decides to “let go.” The first way to practice timed voiding is by delaying urination by 10 minutes when you feel the need to “go.”

Although this may be difficult at first, there are two ways to help you create this delay. One way is to focus your attention elsewhere for 10 minutes. Read a book, watch television, or otherwise distract yourself.

The other way is to do some Kegels, if possible, to buy yourself some time. This also strengthens your pelvic floor muscles.

Once you have been able to delay urination for 10 minutes, work on extending the delay to 20 minutes. This may take a while, but keep working at it. This “retrains” your bladder in a mind over matter kind of way.

Timed Voiding Method #2 for Women’s Urinary Incontinence
The second method to “pee by the clock” is to actually set a schedule for your urination. This usually means scheduling bathroom breaks every 2-3 hours. By setting and following this kind of schedule, you are retraining your bladder. Now you are in control of your bladder rather than the other way around.

As with the first method, this will take a little bit of practice. You may have to adjust your fluid intake as well to accommodate your schedule. However, this method does work for many women with urinary incontinence, especially if you are strict about following your set schedule. This method also means that your voiding more closely mimics that of a healthy bladder. Women with healthy bladders urinate six to eight times per day, rather than 10 or more times.

Timed Voiding Takes Practice
As with all conservative approaches to managing women’s urinary incontinence, consistency is the key. Practicing one or both timed voiding approaches above will, over time, change the way your bladder works. When added to other conservative therapies, including medications and pelvic floor muscle rehabilitation, timed voiding can be especially effective.

Give it a try. This method is discreet and can be practiced in the privacy of your home. What have you got to lose other than your wet panties?

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If you suffer from symptoms of urinary incontinence then knowing how to prevent leakage accidents probably tops your list of important things to know.There are many ways to treat the various types of urinary incontinence–stress, urge, and mixed–and sometimes knowing what triggers your incontinence symptoms can help you prevent accidents.

Triggers for Urinary Incontinence
Depending on what form of urinary incontinence you have, the events that trigger urine leakage will vary. With stress urinary incontinence, triggers include anything that increases pressure on or inside your abdomen, usually some form of physical activity or exercise. For some women the trigger can be as slight as stepping off a curb or walking vigorously. For others, the trigger may be more extreme, such as sneezing, picking up a heavy object, or doing aerobic exercise.

If you have urge urinary incontinence, your triggers are different. For most women, hearing the sound of running water or feeling the sensation of water on their hand can trigger the uncontrollable urge to urinate. Spicy foods, carbonated beverages, caffeine, and other foods and drinks that irritate the bladder can also trigger urge urinary incontinence.

For women with mixed urinary incontinence, any of the above triggers may bring on a leakage accident.

Finding Your Triggers for Urinary Incontinence
If you are not sure what triggers your urinary incontinence, keep a journal for a week or so. Track your food and water intake, as well as any events that seem to trigger urine leakage. You can also experiment with some lifestyle habits to see whether they improve or worsen your symptoms. Some good places to start experimenting include:

– decreasing your intake of caffeinated, alcoholic, and carbonated beverages
– stopping or decreasing smoking
– increasing your fiber intake to reduce constipation

You will also want to record the times and amounts of urine leakage, as well as how often you make it to the bathroom to urinate. All of this information will help your doctor determine your type of urinary incontinence and the best ways to treat it.

The more you know about your urinary incontinence, the more empowered you will be as an advocate for your own health and well-being. No matter how long you have dealt with urinary incontinence, it’s never too late to start improving your situation. So get some pen and paper, and start tracking your triggers!