 | | | | Medical Health Encyclopedia | | Biofeedback and electrical stimulation will no longer be necessary once you have identified the pelvic floor muscles and mastered the exercises on your own.
Vaginal cones enhance the performance of Kegel exercises for women. Other devices for incontinence are also available.
For leakage, wear absorbent pads or undergarments. There are many well-designed products that go completely unnoticed by anyone but you.
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Other measures include:
- Regulate your bowels to avoid constipation. Try increasing fiber in your diet.
- Quit smoking to reduce coughing and bladder irritation. Smoking also increases your risk of bladder cancer.
- Avoid alcohol and caffeinated beverages, particularly coffee, which can overstimulate your bladder.
- Lose weight if you need to.
- Avoid foods and drinks that may irritate your bladder like spicy foods, carbonated beverages, and citrus fruits and juices.
- Keep blood sugars under good control if you have diabetes.
Your doctor may recommend medication or surgery, especially if home care measures are not helping or if your symptoms are getting worse.Medications that may be prescribed include drugs that relax the bladder, increase bladder muscle tone, or strengthen the sphincter. Surgery may be required to relieve an obstruction or deformity of the bladder neck and urethra. Uterine or pelvic suspension operations are sometimes needed in women. Men may require prostatectomy (removal of the prostate gland). Incontinence can sometimes be managed by artificial sphincters. These are synthetic cuffs that are surgically placed around the urethra to help retain urine. If you have overflow incontinence or cannot empty your bladder completely, a catheter may be recommended. But using a catheter exposes you to potential infection. PREVENTION Performing Kegel exercises while you are pregnant and soon after delivery may help prevent incontinence related to childbirth.
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