Dr. Ninan Thomas Panicker

Are you experiencing unintentional loss of urine lately? This is an indication of a condition known as urinary incontinence in women. The condition usually arises from pregnancy, childbirth and menopause. In many cases, overactive and weak bladder muscles, and nerve damage may also cause urinary incontinence. This is a common problem in women, which is treatable. There are several types of this condition such as stress incontinence, urge incontinence, functional incontinence, mixed incontinence, transient incontinence and mixed incontinence.

Management of Urinary Incontinence
There are several ways and methods which you can apply to manage urinary incontinence. They are as follows:

1. Pelvic floor exercises: Pelvic floor muscles help in holding urine and when these muscles get weakened due to pregnancy or because of being overweight, leakage occurs. You have to carry out several exercises for improving the symptoms. Doing this exercise on a regular basis will prevent leakage and stop the existing leakage. These exercises are useful when you have a sudden urge for urination, and they involve the relaxation and contraction of the pelvic floor muscles.
2. Less liquid consumption: Leakages are more likely to occur when the bladder is full and drinking any kind of liquid will make you feel like urinating. You must limit your consumption of alcohol and caffeine as these cause the urine to increase. 
3. Bathroom schedule: In case you have to visit the bathroom too often or frequently, you must try to increase the time between bathroom visits. You have to practice bladder training along with pelvic floor exercises. Slowly, you will be able to reduce your bathroom visits.
4. Wearable devices: You can use wearable devices for placing support in the vagina as these prevent leakage. You may be fitted with a silicon device known as a pessary. Tampons can be used for the prevention of leaks as well. Tampons are recommended for women who leak during activities such as running. For preventing shock syndrome, the tampon should be changed every six hours.
5. Weight loss: Obesity and extra weight cause urinary incontinence as these put extra pressure on the bladder or the urethra, which is the tube which starts from the bladder. This is associated with stress incontinence and leaks due to sneezing, coughing, lifting or laughing. Heavier women are more likely to face this problem and weight loss can help in managing the same.

In case you are experiencing urinary incontinence, you must consult a doctor and discuss your problems. A doctor will provide you the best remedies for dealing with the stressful condition.