Urinary Incontinence (Ui) Tips

Urinary incontinence is a problem that can affect anyone. Urinary incontinence is the loss of bladder control or the ability of a person to control his/her urine output. It is an embarrassing problem as the urgeto urinate and lack of bladder control can occur even when you are in the middle of something important. This condition is classified by its severity and ranges from the occasional urine leakage to the discharge of urine so suddenly that the person will not be able to make it to the toilet in time.

Symptoms and types:
The symptoms of urinary incontinence are to do with urine output, and can be categorized by minor leaks of urine to moderate amounts. In some cases, the urine discharge can be sudden. This condition is more common among the elderly.

Types of urinary incontinence:

1. Stress incontinence: The leakage occurs when you are exerting pressure on your bladder, and can include instances of coughing, sneezing, exercising or even lifting something heavy.
2. Urge incontinence: There is an intense urge to urinate followed by an involuntary loss of urine. The sensation or urge to urinate will be often. This can occur throughout the night too and can cause discomfort both physically and mentally.
3. Overflow incontinence: This is experienced when your bladder does not empty completely. As a result, you would be experiencing constant dribbling of urine. No matter how many times you go to the toilet, the dribbling will continue.
4. Functional incontinence: This type of incontinence is caused by an impairment, disorder or condition that prevents you from making it to the toilet in time. For example, if you are elderly or if you have severe arthritis, you may not be able to reach the bathroom in time.
5. Mixed incontinence: This happens when you experience more than one or two types of the above mentioned urinary incontinence.

Urinary incontinence is not a disease, but could be a symptom of an underlying condition. Do consult with your physician if you notice these symptoms and get treated for it. A simple urinalysis will help to determine and diagnose infections and other disorders causing this condition.

Prevention:
There are many factors that can put you at risk. Most involve everyday habits and the food that we eat. There are certain drinks such as alcohol, caffeine, aerated drinks, and chocolate drinks that can also stimulate your bladder and can increase the output of urine temporarily. Reducing your intake of these beverages particularly at night and limiting your intake of spicy foods could help you deal with this condition.

Making a few healthy lifestyle changes such as maintaining a healthy weight and regular exercises to strengthen the pelvic region can help to prevent conditions such as urinary incontinence. Watch what you eat and curb your intake of acidic and spicy foods. Also, limit or reduce your consumption of foods high in preservatives. Quit smoking and reducing the intake of alcohol will also be beneficial.

Coping with urinary incontinence can be embarrassing. Hence talk to your doctor about it and get medical attention immediately. Using adult diapers could help reduce the stress and embarrassment involved with this condition.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

There are certain changes that are noticed in the body post-pregnancy. One such change that might affect you is an overactive bladder. Usually, depending on the amount of liquid that goes into the body, an individual urinates eight to ten times a day. But post-pregnancy this statistic might increase to around ten to twelve times a day. While urinating helps the body to get rid of excessive body wastes, extreme urinating would also get rid of the necessary minerals and liquid that the body requires for its proper functioning. However, overactive bladders are quite common in women who have delivered and can be treated smoothly. Here are some of the top ways in which you can treat your overactive bladder post your pregnancy:

1. Losing Weight: A woman gains a lot of weight post pregnancy. This weight needs to be reduced through simple exercises and a proper balanced diet. Reduction of the post pregnancy weight helps in controlling the overactive bladder to a certain extent.

2. Avoiding Alcohol, Spicy and Acidic Food: Alcohol, spicy and acidic food actually creates havoc in the excretory system. Their compounds are such that these enable the body to get rid of water and necessary elements from the body. In fact, the power of urine itself is reduced, making discharging urine with high water content. This would make you more thirsty resulting in over-urinating at times. Similar conditions arise in the body when you consume coffee which contains caffeine and chocolate. Although, having a little bit of chocolate now and then does not really affect the system to quite an extent.

3. Exercises: Each exercise is carefully tuned to help a particular part of the body. For reducing the over activeness of your bladder, pelvic exercises are the best that you can carry out even for thirty minutes a day. Exercises would help you to remain active, shed the excess weight as well as manage your urination.

4. Avoid Smoking: Out of the many health hazards that arise out of smoking, one of them is the extreme urge to urinate often after pregnancy. Thus, to avoid over urination it is advised to refrain from smoking for some time.

Thus, these are some of the easiest ways to control the situation. In case you are embarrassed to go out in the public like this, you can always use incontinence pads. However, if the problem persists even after trying out all the said methods, then it would be in your best interest to take expert advice from the doctors.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Urine incontinence is a condition that can be caused by one's everyday habits, side effects to medication, or any other long-term physical ailments. A thorough check-up by your doctor can help in getting to the root cause of this condition.

Certain beverages, medicines and foods can act as diuretics. This leads to bloating in your bladder and an increase in the volume of your urine. They include the following:

1. Liquor
2. Caffeine
3. Decaffeinated tea or coffee
4. Aerated drinks
5. Artificial sweeteners
6. Corn syrup
7. Drinks that contain high doses of artificial flavours, sugar or acid, particularly citrus based beverages
8. Heart medicines, narcotics, and muscle relaxants
9. Extensive intake of vitamins B or C
10. Urinary tract infection (UIT)
11. Constipation

Other causes:

Urinary incontinence can also be caused by the following:

1. Pregnancy: Hormonal changes and increasedweight of the uterus can cause stress incontinence.
2. Childbirth: Delivery can weaken the muscles required for bladder control. It damages the bladder nerves and steady tissue. With prolapse, the uterus, bladder, or the intestine can be pushed down from their usual position and might even protrude into the vagina.
3. Changes developed with age: Maturing of the bladder muscle can weaken the bladder's ability to store urine.
4. Menopause: After menopause,women deliver less estrogen. Disintegration of these tissues can cause incontinence.
5. Hysterectomy: In women, the same muscles and tendons support the bladder and uterus. Any surgery that removes the uterus may harm the supporting muscles, which can prompt incontinence.
6. Expanded prostate: Particularly in older men, incontinence usually occurs from growth of the prostate organ, a condition known as considerate prostatic hyperplasia.
7. Prostate cancer: In men, stress incontinence or urge incontinence can be connected with an untreated prostate disease. Incontinence is a reaction to medicines prescribed for prostate growth.
8. Obstruction: A tumour in your urinary tract can disrupt the typical stream of urine, prompting flood incontinence. Urinary stones at times cause leakage of urine.
9. Neurological disorders: Various sclerosis, Parkinson's illness, stroke, a mind tumour or a spinal damage can meddle with the nerve signals. These are important in keeping control of the bladder.

Your specialist may suggest the following:

1. Bladder control: You may begin by attempting to hold off for 10 minutes each time you feel a desire to urinate. The objective is to extend the time between visits to the toilet until you start urinating in two to three hour intervals.
2. Two-fold voiding: Twofold voiding implies urinating, then holding it for a couple of minutes and attempting once more. This exercise can help in leveraging better control in the long run.
3. Fixed toilet time: You may attempt to urinate every two to four hours instead of sitting tight when the need arises.
4. Liquid intake and diet: You may need to stay away from liquor, caffeine or acidic foods. Also, the fluid intake may have to be reduced in such cases.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Stress urinary incontinence is the unintentional loss of urine. It is a disorder causes urine leakage on application of stress pressure upon the body. This means that when you are coughing, lifting heavy weights or involved in other high-pressure activities urine might leak out of the bladder. Although it is not a life-threatening disorder, you have to take appropriate action to cure it. Women are more vulnerable to stress incontinence than men.

Common causes of the disorder Stress Urinary Incontinence

Some of the common causes of Stress Urinary Incontinence in women include urethra infection, taking powerful medicines, pelvic surgery, etc. Some women are more susceptible to the disorder after their childbirth. Prostate surgery is also one of the common causes of the disease in women.

Ways to diagnose the disorder

The effective way to diagnose the stress urinary incontinence in men is through examining their genitals. In women, a doctor can diagnose the disorder through a pelvic test. The rectal examination is also an effective test to diagnose the disorder.

Effective treatment options for the disease

If you are suffering from stress urinary incontinence, you may feel embarrassed, isolate yourself, or limit your work and social life, especially exercise and leisure activities. With treatment, you will be able to manage stress incontinence and improve your overall well-being. The treatment options for stress urinary incontinence mainly count on the impact of the life of a person. You can treat the disorder through taking medicines, changing your lifestyle, surgery, as well as through the Pelvic floor muscle exercise.

1. Medicines: Drugs are suitable to treat the disorder if it is mild. Your family doctor will prescribe one or more drugs to have better control over the medical condition. There are drugs that aids you greatly in relaxing your bladder muscles. The therapy involves the application of cream into their vagina.
2. Lifestyle changes: These changes include drinking the right amount of liquids, avoiding holding the urine, eating fiber-rich foods, quitting smoking, avoiding alcohol, maintaining a healthy weight, avoiding some foods, keeping the glucose levels under control, if the patient is suffering from diabetes.
3. Pelvic floor muscle exercise: The exercise will make the muscles in the pelvic floor of the patient stronger. Some of the pelvic floor strengthening exercises include Kegel exercises, Biofeedback, Pelvic floor physical therapy, as well as vaginal cones.
4. Surgery: If any of the above-mentioned treatments do not work, then surgery is the ultimate way to treat stress urinary incontinence. Some of the surgical options include Artificial urinary sphincter, Anterior vaginal repair, Bulking injections, Retropubic suspensions, Male sling, Vaginal sling procedures, and Tension-free vaginal tape.

Whenever the symptoms of stress urinary incontinence trouble you, it is better to contact your family doctor immediately.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

There is a prevalent misconception that gynecologists are for women what urologists are for men. But urologists also deal with certain women-related health issues. These include overactive bladder, pelvic organ prolapse, and urinary incontinence.

Following are the 5 points which every female should know:

1. Women sometimes pee in their pants too: A majority of the female population between 40 and 60 suffer from either stress incontinence (when you cough, sneeze or laugh) or urgency incontinence (leaking when you want to go badly). Urologists want you to know that there are less invasive options and medications available to treat this problem.
2. Recognize pelvic organ prolapse: This condition is defined by a bit of bladder, rectal, or uterine tissue bulging into your vagina. An urologist can provide non invasive options to deal with this.
3. Age related factors affect both men and women: Right around the time when menopause and andropause strike, changing hormone levels affect the pelvic floor, bladder, urethra and vagina in women causing problems like urinary tract infection and incontinence. These conditions are effectively treated by an urologist who can also probe for underlying conditions like kidney stone, polyp, or tumor in severe cases.
4. An overactive bladder is more common than you think: Around 40% women have to hit the bathroom every hour or so owing to this. Simple lifestyle changes like lowering the intake of caffeine and alcohol, in combination with pelvic floor exercises can solve the problem.
5. Pelvic pain: If it is not gynecology then it is urology. A general pain in the pelvic region triggers a visit to the gynecologist first for most women.From menstrual cramps to ovarian cysts, all of this may well be taken care of by your gynecologist too. But when the usual culprits are not the cause for your discomfort, it's time you get the urology aspect examined thoroughly too.

Involuntary and sudden urine loss in women is termed as urinary incontinence. Some of the contributory factors to urinary incontinence are menopause, pregnancy and childbirth.

Types:
There are seven types of urinary incontinence.

1. Stress incontinence: If normal physical movements like sneezing, coughing and exercising cause small amounts of urine to leak out, it is called 'stress incontinence'.
2. Urge incontinence: If large amounts of urine leak out during unexpected and at odd times, like during sleeping, it is called 'urge incontinence'.
3. Overactive Bladder: This is characterized by frequent and urgent urination, along with urge incontinence or not.
4. Functional incontinence: If external deterrents or physical disabilities like not being able to find a toilet, leads to sudden leakage of urine, it is called 'functional incontinence'.
5. Overflow incontinence: A full bladder, at times, leads to unexpected leakage. This is called 'overflow incontinence'.
6. Mixed incontinence: Whenever urge and stress incontinence occur together, it is categorized as 'mixed incontinence'.
7. Transient incontinence: When urine leakage occurs due to temporary situations like infections or new medications, it is called 'transient incontinence'.

Causes:

Urinary incontinence is not a disease; it is a symptom. Infections, diabetes, or other medical conditions can cause incontinence. If incontinence is temporary, the causes might be any or all of the following:

1. Urinary tract infection
2. Over consumption of alcohol
3. Constipation
4. Too much caffeine intake
5. Consuming carbonated drinks
6. Decaffeinated coffee and tea
7. Use of artificial sweeteners
8. Foods which are too spicy, acidic or sugary
9. Corn syrup
10. Being on sedatives, muscle relaxants, blood pressure and heart medications
11. High doses of vitamin B and vitamin C

However, if incontinence is persistent, the symptoms might be different:

1. Pregnancy: During pregnancy, hormonal changes and weight gain in the body can cause incontinence.
2. Childbirth: Normal vaginal delivery weakens muscles that control the bladder, thus leading to incontinence.
3. Age: The bladder muscles weaken with age which, in turn, affects the bladder urine holding capacity.
4. Menopause: The levels of "oestrogen" hormone drop with the onset of menopause. Oestrogen keeps the lining of the urethra and bladder healthy. The gradual damage of the bladder tissues leads to incontinence.
5. Hysterectomy: The bladder and uterus are supported by the same ligaments and muscles. Surgery deteriorates the pelvic floor muscles, thus removing the uterus can lead to incontinence.
6. Obstruction: Tumours in the urinary tract can block the normal urine flow. This causes overflow incontinence.
7. Neurological disorders: Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, brain tumours, strokes or spinal injury can cause incontinence.

Urinary incontinence is the unintentional passing of urine. It's a common problem thought to affect millions of people. There are several types of urinary incontinence, including:

1. Stress Incontinence– when urine leaks out at times when your bladder is under pressure; for example, when you cough or laugh.
2. Urge Incontinence– when urine leaks as you feel a sudden, intense urge to pass urine, or soon afterwards.
3. Overflow Incontinence (chronic urinary retention)– when you're unable to fully empty your bladder, which causes frequent leaking.
4. Total Incontinence– when your bladder can't store any urine at all, which causes you to pass urine constantly or have frequent leaking.

It's also possible to have a mixture of both stress and urge urinary incontinence.

What causes urinary incontinence in men?

Urinary incontinence in men results when the brain does not properly signal the bladder, the sphincters do not squeeze strongly enough, or both. The bladder muscle may contract too much or not enough because of a problem with the muscle itself or the nerves controlling the bladder muscle. Damage to the sphincter muscles themselves or the nerves controlling these muscles can result in poor sphincter function. These problems can range from simple to complex.

A man may have factors that increase his chances of developing UI, including

1. birth defects—problems with development of the urinary tract
2. a history of prostate cancer—surgery or radiation treatment for prostate cancer can lead to temporary or permanent UI in men

UI is not a disease. Instead, it can be a symptom of certain conditions or the result of particular events during a man’s life. Conditions or events that may increase a man’s chance of developing UI include

1. benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH)—a condition in which the prostate is enlarged yet not cancerous. In men with BPH, the enlarged prostate presses against and pinches the urethra. The bladder wall becomes thicker. Eventually, the bladder may weaken and lose the ability to empty, leaving some urine in the bladder. The narrowing of the urethra and incomplete emptying of the bladder can lead to UI.
2. chronic coughing—long-lasting coughing increases pressure on the bladder and pelvic floor muscles.
3. neurological problems—men with diseases or conditions that affect the brain and spine may have trouble controlling urination.
4. physical inactivity—decreased activity can increase a man’s weight and contribute to muscle weakness.
5. obesity—extra weight can put pressure on the bladder, causing a need to urinate before the bladder is full.
6. older age—bladder muscles can weaken over time, leading to a decrease in the bladder’s capacity to store urine.

Treating Urinary Incontinence

Initially, your GP may suggest some simple measures to see if they help improve your symptoms. These may include:

1. lifestyle changes – such as losing weight and cutting down on caffeine and alcohol
2. pelvic floor exercises – exercising your pelvic floor muscles by squeezing them, taught by a specialist 
3. bladder training – where you learn ways to wait longer between needing to urinate and passing urine, guided by a specialist
4. You may also benefit from the use of incontinence products, such as absorbent pads and handheld urinals.
5. Medication may be recommended if you're still unable to manage your symptoms.
6. Surgery may also be considered. The specific procedures suitable for you will depend on the type of incontinence you have.
7. Surgical treatments for stress incontinence, such as tape or sling procedures, are used to reduce pressure on the bladder or strengthen the muscles that control urination.
8. Operations to treat urge incontinence include enlarging the bladder or implanting a device that stimulates the nerve that controls the detrusor muscles.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Urological problems occur irrespective of gender and age. So, if you don’t want to fall victim to the problems of urinary tract infection, urinary incontinence, kidneys tones or any other urological disorder, here are a few tips that can help you improve your overall urological health.

1. Water is your best friend: Water and other fluids are your best friend if you want to maintain your urological health. As you already know the main purpose of the urinary system is to cleanse your body and excrete all the waste and toxic products from your body. These toxins and waste are excreted from the body with the help of urine. So, when you increase your water intake, more and more toxins will be thrown out of your body. Doctors usually recommend having at least 8 glasses of water per day. But apart from water certain fruit juices like cranberry juice, which is excellent for urological health.
2. Don’t hold your urine: There are many people who have a habit of holding back their urine. Therefore, it is important for you to know that it can do your body a lot of harm. So, when you feel the urge to go to the toilet, it is essential that empty your bladder.
3. Stop having alcohol and coffee: Coffee and alcohol, both have several bad effects on your body. They act as a diuretic. These two products tend to irritate the lining of your bladder. This causes urinary incontinence and you will feel the urge to urinate more frequently.
4. Reduce your intake of salt: Salt is an important seasoning and is required in every dish. Consuming it is okay but some people tend to take salt in quite higher amounts. You should never do that. This leads to retention of water in your body. They often lead to an increase in your blood pressure and also leads to kidney damage. The occurrence of kidney stones also occurs on an increased salt intake. Thus, fried and canned foods should be avoided as much as possible if you want to keep the urinary tract problems at bay.
5. Hygiene is very important: During intercourse, many microorganisms enter your urinary tract and they even have the potential to cause several infections. Urinary tract infections are more common in women due to the shorter length of the urethra in them. The female vagina and male groin become the hub for microorganisms. And they get transferred during sex. So, you must maintain hygiene by cleaning your private parts regularly and changing your underwear daily. Keep your genitalia clean. Wash it with a mild cleanser or even plain water would do.

These tips are very crucial and following them thoroughly will help you to maintain a proper urological health. The responsibility of maintaining a good health always lies in your own hands.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Urinary incontinence is a health condition in men, which causes loss of bladder control. Urinary incontinence usually occurs in cases of medical conditions such as an enlarged prostate, Parkinson's disease and diabetes, and may also occur after a prostate surgery. Urinary incontinence is an irritating and embarrassing condition, but with proper treatment, it can be cured.

Here are several methods used to treat urinary incontinence:

1. Caffeine, soda and carbonated drinks cause irritation in the bladder and worsen the symptoms of urinary incontinence. Alcohol is a diuretic and increases the amount of urine too. So abstain from coffee, alcohol and soft drinks to make a difference.
2. Dietary adjustments are required for the treatment of urinary incontinence. Several spicy and acidic food items can make urinary incontinence worse. Hence, you should avoid having such foods for some time.
3. Urinary incontinence can lead to stress and you must get rid of it for better health. You can try relaxation techniques, such as meditation and breathing exercises. Biofeedback is another option by which you can observe your bladder muscle contractions on a monitor.
4. You should try a behavioral technique known as bladder training. This would require you to urinate every half hour, in spite of not having the urge. Slowly try to increase the time in between the bathroom breaks.
5. You need to flex your muscles to gain control over urinary incontinence. Kegel exercises can be practiced as these can boost the strength of your pelvic muscles. You should find the right muscles that are required to stop the passing of gas.
6. Pads and disposable undergarments can be used by men. These help in preventing leaks and also protect the skin from irritation and odor.
7. There are several medicines, which help in the treatment of urinary incontinence in men. Some of these work to relax muscles for preventing unwanted bladder contractions, while others help in blocking the nerve signals to the bladder. Drugs used for the shrinking of an enlarged prostate may also be used in some cases.

Surgery is the ultimate option for the treatment of urinary incontinence. Options include a male sling for urinary incontinence. A type of material is wrapped around the urethra for compressing it. Leaks because of coughing, sneezing or laughing are prevented. Artificial sphincter implants may also be used for the treatment of urinary incontinence. A cuff is used in order to close the urethra. Urine is released by squeezing the pump to open the cuff. A device similar to a pacemaker is used to stimulate nerves, which help in relaxing the bladder and pelvic floor.

Urinary incontinence is a condition which causes reduced self-confidence in men. But there are several ways to treat this condition which include home remedies as well as medications and surgery.

In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Urological problems such as urinary tract infection, urinary incontinence, and kidney stones are highly prevalent across gender and age groups. But there are several simple measures you may undertake to improve urological health and prevent such problems.

Read on to know how to go about it.

1. Drinking adequate amount of fluids: Waste products are mostly eliminated through urine, and when you drink more water, you will be able to remove more toxins from the body. The general recommendation is having 8 glasses of water in a day even though this varies on an individual basis. You must also consider drinking cranberry juice which offers protection from various types of infections of the urinary tract. And you should drink an extra amount of water while exercising and when you are spending a lot of time outside as you might excrete more water through perspiration.
2. Cutting down the intake of caffeine and alcohol: Both alcohol and caffeine act as a diuretic and they irritate the lining of the urinary bladder. This causes frequent urge to urinate.
3. Avoid holding urine: You should never practice holding the urine for a long span of time but try going to the toilet whenever you feel the urge.
4. Controlling the daily intake of salt: When you consume too much of salt, the sodium in the body increases and it causes retention of fluids in the body. This is invariably linked with high blood pressure which can cause damage to the kidneys and formation of kidney stones. Thus, it is essential to reduce the intake of canned foods, fried stuff, and processed foods.
5. Keeping the genital area clean: You should always aim to keep the genital area clean by washing it with plain water or some mild cleanser once in a day. Also, while indulging in sexual intercourse, bacteria along with other micro-organisms can enter into the urinary tract causing infection. Women are at a higher risk of developing urinary tract infections since they have a shorter urethra. Male groins and female vaginas are considered breeding grounds for different pathogens which can transfer from one partner to another during intercourse hence care should be taken.
6. Preventing urological problems in women: Once you use the washroom, you should wipe the genital area from the front part to back. You should not use perfumed soaps and cleansers in the vaginal areas. Wearing cotton panties is always a healthier option than other fabrics. One should also avoid using vaginal deodorants and spermicidal creams to prevent infections.

Though numerous treatment options are available for these disorders since prevention is always better than cure, adopt these practices to steer clear of these common problems. Further, incorporating lifestyle changes such as eating a balanced diet coupled with exercise and leading a stress-free routine can pave the way for general good health.