Urinary incontinence is not something that any woman wants to deal with. While common, incontinence can be due to a wide variety of factors, like age, having a baby, genetics, and illnesses. If you are dealing with urinary incontinence, then you know it comes along with embarrassment and frustration. The good news is that there are ways to treat your condition. With many different options, you will want to discuss those options with your doctor.
At Home Techniques
You cannot completely cure your incontinence at home, but there are definitely things you can do that will help the issue to some level. Here are some things you can do at home to deal with your condition:
- Training your bladder by teaching yourself to hold your urge to go a little longer each day.
- Scheduling your visits to the bathroom about every two to four hours.
- Avoiding beverages that make you need to go quicker, like alcohol, caffeine, and foods that are high in acid.
- Kegel exercises to build strength in the muscles of the pelvic floor.
- Wearing incontinence pads or underwear
- Using a catheter
These at home methods are often just methods of dealing with the urinary incontinence. However, if you only have the mildest of versions, they may be feasible. If you have more severe cases of urinary incontinence, then you will need to talk to your doctor about your options, such as medications or surgical procedures.
Medications
There are a few different medications that your doctor may prescribe. Of course you will still need to use other methods like some of those above, but when taken together, they can be successful for some types of urinary incontinence. Here are some of the medications that your doctor may prescribe.
- Duloxetine. This is an antidepressant that can be used for the types of urinary incontinence called stress incontinence.
- Imipramine. This is also an antidepressant that can be used to treat stress incontinence.
- Topical Estrogen. This low dose estrogen can be found in three different forms: vaginal cream, patch, and ring. The topical estrogen can be used to build the strength of tissues in the urethra and the surrounding areas.
- Anticholinergics. These medications are designed specifically for those who have an overactive bladder. They come in many names, including Detrol, Ditropan, Enablex, Toviaz, Sanctura, and Vesicare.
Surgery
In many cases, surgery is the best option for urinary incontinence. If you have severe incontinence, then a surgical procedure can be a permanent solution so that you do not have to continue dealing with the embarrassing problem.
- Pelvic Sling. This sling is made from natural body tissue to create a hammock type device that will support the urethra.
- Bladder Suspension. A section of muscle will be used to create a device that will support the bladder neck. This helps to take pressure off the urethra.
You have a number of different options to treat urinary incontinence and you will definitely want to discuss each with your doctor.