A special report in 2010 found that over 3 million Australian women aged 15 and over had urinary incontinence. Today that number is at least the same, if not greater, as the likelihood of becoming incontinent increases as we get older.
Left untreated, female incontinence can have a negative impact on the quality of a woman’s life. The good news is that it’s a treatable condition. There are even a number of effective, non-invasive options available, all of which depend on the type of incontinence experienced by the patient. Treatment also depends on how severe the incontinence is, and the underlying cause.
Pelvic floor exercises
Training your pelvic muscles with Kegel exercises can make a world of difference. These are simple to do and can be performed almost anywhere, at any time.
Just imagine that you want to stop your urine from flowing. Squeeze and hold the muscles for 5 seconds. Then release and relax for another 5. Repeat up to 10 times.
Build up to holding the muscles for 10 full seconds. A minimum of 3 sets of 10 repetitions are recommended daily. Most women report seeing results after 2 to 3 months.
Behavioral techniques
There are a number of behavioral techniques that doctors recommend, including:
• Bladder training: this involves delaying urination for progressively longer periods, with the aim of reaching 2.5 to 3.5 hours between each trip to the toilet.
• Double voiding: this means waiting a few minutes after urinating to see if you can urinate more. In this way, you empty the bladder more fully and avoid overflow incontinence.
• Regular toilet breaks: schedule your toilet trips every 2 to 4 hours and gradually train your body to urinate at appropriate intervals.
Medication
A number of medications are effective in treating female incontinence. These include:
• Oestrogens, which are commonly used to help tone and revitalize the urethral tissue structures and vagina areas.
• Alpha-adrenergic agonists, which are prescribed to tighten the muscles around the urethra, helping to prevent leakage under pressure.
• Anticholinergic agents, which restrict bladder contractions and thus help treat the uncontrollable urge to urinate.
Female urinary incontinence is very often treatable and doesn’t require surgical intervention. If you’re concerned about urinary incontinence, make sure you contact your doctor first to find the right treatment options available.
Mike is an online marketing enthusiast, who is an experienced freelance content writer. From his five years of experience in the content writing industry, he has gained enormous knowledge and expertise in content writing especially in a health and diet-related articles. As many writers, Mike enjoys reading a variety of content to stay up-to-date with the latest trends in content marketing in the health and diet spaces. He likes writing and having a good debate over various topics in different online forums!
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