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Urinary incontinence in women

Health and Nutrition > Diseases > U

Urinary incontinence in women © NetDoctor/Geir
Urinary incontinence in women (Contd)

Written by Dr John Pillinger, GP

Non-surgical treatment for urge incontinence

  • Bladder training aims to teach the bladder not to send signals to the brain too early. A training schedule is devised that gradually increases the length of time a person waits before emptying their bladder, so that reasonable control of a full bladder can be achieved.
  • Medicines that reduce the excitability of the bladder detrusor muscle (anticholinergics), such as oxybutynin or tolterodine. The medicines commonly used to treat urge incontinence can sometimes cause a dry mouth, blurred vision and constipation, though these are not that common in practice providing one commences the patient on a relatively low dose, allowing them to become accustomed to the treatment before increasing the dose as required.
  • Hormone replacement therapy is useful in helping urge incontinence in women after the menopause. It is not particularly effective in stress incontinence.

    • Surgical treatment for urge incontinence
    Stretching (dilatation) of the urethra under general anaesthetic may be helpful.

    What complications might arise from surgery?
    Even with the best possible technique, all surgical procedures carry a small but recognised risk of excess bleeding and infection. The individual operations concerned each carry certain risk factors that are best explained by the surgeon performing the operation.

    The anaesthetic can cause side effects that can be quite different between individuals, and these should be discussed with the anaesthetist beforehand.

    What can a person do to help urinary incontinence?

  • Eat plenty of fresh fruit, vegetable and cereals to avoid constipation.
  • Drink at least six to eight glasses of liquid every day.
  • If you experience urgency that makes you rush to the toilet, drink less tea, coffee and cola that contain caffeine and drink more water.
  • Take regular exercise - walk as much as possible.
  • Wear clothes that are easy to manage.
  • If you have to get up more than once during the night to pass urine (nocturia) then it is advisable not to drink any fluid within three hours of going to bed.
  • Involve your family in understanding the problems so that embarrassment is not so much of a problem.
  • Get someone else to do heavy lifting and avoid strenuous exertion in general.
  • Drinking alcohol is likely to worsen any type of urinary incontinence because it is a diuretic and stimulates the kidneys to produce more urine.



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