Bladder Control Problems (cont.)
IN THIS ARTICLE
- Bladder Control Problems Overview
- Bladder Control Problems Causes
- Bladder Control Problems Symptoms
- When to Seek Medical Care
- Exams and Tests
- Bladder Control Problems Treatment
- Self-Care at Home
- Medical Treatment
- Medications
- Surgery
- Next Steps
- Follow-up
- Prevention
- Outlook
- Support Groups and Counseling
- For More Information
- Web Links
- Synonyms and Keywords
- Authors and Editors
- Urinary Incontinence in Women - Slideshow

Self-Care at Home
Incontinence is never normal. If you have a problem with urine leakage, you should see a medical professional.
While waiting for your appointment, make yourself more comfortable.
- Avoid foods and drinks that may irritate the bladder. These include alcohol, caffeine, carbonated
drinks, chocolate, citrus fruits, and acidic fruits and juices.
- Do not drink too much fluid. Six to 8 cups a day is adequate, more if you are exercising, sweating a lot, or the weather is hot. In people with kidney stone disease,
voiding at least 2 liters of fluid per day is important. Fluid restriction may
lead to stone growth or formation.
- Urinate regularly.
- Do not ignore the urge to urinate or to have a bowel
movement.
- If you are overweight, try to
get to a healthier weight.
- If necessary, wear absorbent pads to catch urine.
- Maintain proper hygiene. This will help you feel more confident and will prevent odors and skin irritation.
Kegel exercises: Exercising the muscles of your pelvic floor may benefit women with either stress or urge incontinence.
- The exercises involve strongly contracting the pelvic
muscles that you use to hold back urine.
- Many women are familiar with these exercises from
childbirth classes.
- To find the muscles, place the first and second fingers of one of your hands into your vagina. Squeeze as if
holding urine in until you feel a tightening around your fingers.
- Tightening these muscles is the exercise. Squeeze and hold for at least 10 seconds, then relax for 10 seconds. Repeat these exercises at least 10-20 times, 3 times per day. The more often you do the exercises, the more likely that they will work.
Create a urination diary. Take notes every day on your urination patterns. This will help your health care provider in diagnosing your problem:
- Time of urge to urinate (or if there was no urge)
- Strength of pain or urge
- Time you actually urinated
- Volume of urine
- Amount of leakage
- Type and amount of fluids you drink and when you drink them
Next: Medical Treatment »
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ENABLEX is a prescription medicine used in adults to treat the following symptoms due to a condition called overactive bladder:
- · having a strong need to go to the bathroom right away (also called "urgency")
- · leaks or wetting accidents (also called "urinary incontinence")
- · having to go to the bathroom too often (also called "urinary frequency")
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
You should not take once-daily ENABLEX if you have certain types of stomach problems, glaucoma, or have trouble emptying your bladder. Side effects of ENABLEX include blurred vision, and more commonly dry mouth, constipation, indigestion, and abdominal pain. Use caution when doing certain activities until you know how ENABLEX affects you.
Women's Health
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In the practice of physical medicine and rehabilitation, voiding disorders are usually a result of neurologic conditions, such as spinal cord injury (SCI) or disease, cerebrovascular accident (CVA), traumatic brain injury (TBI), multiple sclerosis (MS), or dementia.
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