The most common bladder issue is urinary incontinence, also known as urine leakage, which affects nearly half of all women at some point in their lives according to the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NKUDIC). Although bladder surgery may be necessary to treat urinary incontinence or bladder cancer, there are many alternative treatments that should be tried first.
Exercises
There are several different types of urinary incontinence; identifying the underlying cause of the incontinence can help to determine the right treatment. Stress incontinence occurs when urine leaks because of sudden pressure on the lower abdominal muscles, such as during a cough, sneeze or laugh. The underlying cause is usually weak pelvic muscles, which are common in women who have had children.
This type of incontinence can often be treated by performing kegel exercises which work to help strengthen the pelvic floor muscles that help to control the bladder. To perform a kegel exercise, you must first determine the correct muscle to work. While urinating, stop or slow the stream of urine without using the stomach, leg or buttock muscles. That is the muscle to work. To exercise that muscle, squeeze it and hold while counting to 10, then relax it. Do a total of 10 repetitions. This should be done several times a day. Although this will not solve bladder control issues overnight, improvement should be noticed after three to six months, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Pessaries
A pessary is a plastic ring that can be inserted into the vagina to support the vaginal wall. Pessaries also provides support to the bladder and the urethra and help to relieve stress incontinence.
Nerve Stimulation
Another common cause of urinary problems is nerve damage. Damaged nerves, caused by diabetes, a stroke or other medical condition, can cause urge incontinence. The damaged nerves are not able to communicate between the bladder and the brain, which results in strong or sudden urges to urinate even when the bladder is not full.
Urge incontinence can often be treated with nerve stimulation therapy. Nerve stimulation therapy uses an electrical stimulator device to deliver electrical impulses to the bladder to help regulate the signals to signal the brain to empty the bladder only when it is full.
Medications
There are medications available to help treat an overactive bladder, which causes urge incontinence. The most prescribed medications are anticholinergic medications, such as oxybutynin, that work to block the action of acetycholine. Acetycholine is a chemical that carries signals from nerves to muscles. The result of Inhibiting acetylcholine is that the bladder does not contract as often, which helps to relieve the symptoms of urge incontinence.
