Treatment Overview

Urinary incontinence isn't an inevitable result of aging. Most women who have it can be helped or cured.

The best treatment depends on the cause of your incontinence and your personal preferences. Treatments include:

• Behavioral training, such as bladder training and timed urination. For more information, see Other Treatment.
• Lifestyle changes and pelvic floor (Kegel) exercises. For more information, see Home Treatment.
• Medicines. For more information, see Medications.
• Medical devices. For more information, see Other Treatment.
• Surgery. For more information, see Surgery.

Behavioral training, exercises and lifestyle changes, and medicines are usually tried first. If the problem does not get better, your doctor may try another treatment or do more tests.

When there is more than one cause for incontinence, the most significant cause is treated first, followed by treatment for the secondary cause, if needed.

Prevention

You may reduce your chances for urinary incontinence by:

• Doing pelvic floor (Kegel) exercises to strengthen your pelvic muscles.
• Staying at a healthy weight. For more information, see the topic Weight Management.
• Quitting smoking. Smoking causes coughing, which can make it harder to control your urine. Quitting smoking relieves coughing. For more information, see the topic Quitting Smoking.