Treatment of Urinary Incontinence: Types and Options
Urinary incontinence is clearly a less pleasant topic of conversation between friends than the latest show you binge watched… and yet it can really ruin one’s life. So yes ladies, it is important to talk about it!
Urinary leaks in women are like periods, we all face them in one way or another. And the good news is that they are not inevitable, effective treatments exist for urinary incontinence.
What do doctors recommend as treatment for urinary incontinence?
Dr. Marine Lallemant,Head of department, Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Besançon University Hospitals, specializing in pelvic floor disorders, explains.
For the treatment of urinary incontinence, the first step is to address predisposing factors. Medical professionals will encourage weight loss, limit the consumption of tea and coffee, engage in appropriate physical activity, treat constipation, and help with stopping smoking. After menopause, a local vaginal treatment is offered with estrogen. It improves the quality of the vaginal mucosa and indirectly urinary continence. Regardless of the type of urinary incontinence, pelvic floor rehabilitation is the first-line of treatment. It allows for the rehabilitation of pelvic floor muscles, abdominal muscle competence, and lumbopelvic regions.
Natural treatments for female urinary incontinence
Adapting lifestyle
One of the first pieces of advice to give to people with incontinence is to adopt a healthy and balanced diet. The goal is to avoid the onset of chronic constipation and obesity.
Overweaightedness and constipation cause significant pressure to be exerted on the pelvic floor, which can promote the onset of urinary leaks.
It is also important to regularly do physical activity. Healthcare professionals also recommend quitting smoking, because smoking cigarettes can lead to the development of chronic cough, which exerts excessive pressure on the pelvic floor
Regulating your fluid intake
Some drinks like coffee, tea, or alcohol are bladder irritants. When consumed, they increase the flow of urine to your bladder and promote urination. These are natural diuretics. It is best to limit their consumption.
If you are bothered by night-time urination, try drinking less liquid in the hours leading up to bedtime.
Strengthening your pelvic floor through pelvic rehabilitation
Urinary leaks can occur in a woman’s life for multiple reasons. For example, after pregnancy and childbirth (vaginal or cesarean), or during menopause, due to tissue aging.
To prevent urinary incontinence, it is important to strengthen your pelvic floor.
If you suffer from urinary leaks, pelvic rehabilitation sessions will always be prescribed as a first step. They will help you tone your pelvic floor. Dr. Lallemant explains the differences according to the types of incontinence.
Treatment of stress urinary incontinence
In stress urinary incontinence, pelvic rehabilitation is carried out by a physiotherapist or midwife, usually after childbirth.
Between rehabilitation sessions, the patient must continue with self-rehabilitation work at home to improve the results. This work is easily achievable with the Emy pelvic floor trainer.
Treatment of incontinence by urge incontinence
In urge urinary incontinence, rehabilitation is combined with a cognitive-behavioral treatment to reprogram urination. In addition, or following a failure of behavioral treatment, medications to calm bladder contractions may be prescribed.
To treat the urge to urinate, there is also a medical device that stimulates the tibial nerve. It involves placing 2 electrodes on the skin of the ankle for 20 minutes a day.
Alternative treatments for urinary incontinence
Many natural alternatives exist such as sophrology, acupuncture, reflexology, homeopathy, or hypnosis. Are they to be ruled out or do they present complementary avenues to explore?
Currently, there is no scientific evidence on the effectiveness of alternative methods in the management and treatment of urinary incontinence.
In addition, sophrology or hypnosis can be practiced. These methods help patients manage their anxiety related to this condition and regain confidence. Millions of women suffer from urinary incontinence but few speak out: let’s break this taboo!
Can all forms of urinary incontinence be treated?
When all first-line treatments have failed, surgery can be considered. Gynecologist and head of department Marine shares her expertise on the subject.
In some cases of stress urinary incontinence, surgical treatment is recommended. This may involve placing a tape under the urethra (to support the urethra during exertion), as well as placing an adjustable balloon that compresses the urethra, injecting agents around the urethra, or placing an artificial urinary sphincter.
As a last resort, the medical profession may propose surgery to treat urge incontinence. This involves injecting botulinum toxin into the bladder walls. There may also be the placement of a neuromodulation device under the skin that will stimulate the sacral nerve.
In all cases, to avoid surgery, pelvic floor rehabilitation remains the best preventive treatment for urinary incontinence!
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