Urinary incontinence is a condition which affects all age groups including both men and women, although it’s quite commonly seen in older women. It is not a fatal condition but can be embarrassing in most cases as it significantly affects everyday life leading to trouble in both personal and professional lives.
What is meant by urinary leakage?
As the name suggests urinary leakage is a condition where there is accidental leakage of urine from the bladder. This happens as you lose control over the bladder. It has various levels of severity like a little leak every time you sneeze or a complete urge to urinate without the time to reach out to the bathroom.
As the severity increases it makes a significant impact on your everyday life seeking medical help is important.
What are the different types of urinary leakage?
Urge incontinence:
Also referred to as overactive bladder. With this condition you may have moderate leakage after feeling a strong urge. You may also have a strong urge to go to the bathroom even after emptying your bladder.
Stress incontinence:
This is one of the most common types of urinary incontinence. When you have a condition there will be urine leakage after you sneeze or cough. Anything that puts even the slightest pressure on the bladder can lead to urine leakage.
Overflow incontinence:
This is quite commonly seen in men and this is referred to as the inability in emptying the bladder, so this leads to urine leakage once the bladder is full.
Mixed incontinence:
This condition is when you have both stress and urge incontinence.
What are the signs and symptoms of urine leakage?
As the name itself suggests, the only symptom of the condition is leakage of urine from time to time. Depending on the type of urinary incontinence the situation when the urine leakage occurs. As you notice the signs, it is important you seek urinary or stress incontinence treatment.
What are the common causes of urine leakage?
There are various causes of urine leakage few common one include:
- Weakened urinary muscles due to aging.
- Pregnancy
- Overweight
- Pelvic muscle damage due to childbirth
- Menopause stage
- Frequent urinary infection
Most of the conditions that lead to female urinary leakage can be treated and can cause only temporary leakage. While few other conditions may be persistent.
What are the complications that can occur if urinary leakage is not managed?
Chronic urinary incontinence or leakage can lead to various complications like:
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Urinary infections:
Chronic urinary leakage leads to frequent urinary infections due to constant loss of urine.
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Skin problems:
As there is frequent urine leakage the skin tends to stay wet leading to skin rashes or infections.
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Problems in personal life:
As urinary incontinence can be embarrassing it can significantly impact personal life and also professional lives making a huge impact on your emotional health.
Reach out to the best gynecology hospital in Coimbatore to avoid any complications of urine leakage.
What are the 6 tips that help a woman manage urinary leakage:
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Retrain your bladder:
Bladder training is a part of behavioral training. It will help in increasing the time gap between each visit to the bathroom. Bladder is built with muscles which control the movement of the bladder. These muscles can also be strengthened like the other muscles in the body.
When a person experiences urinary leakage, they tend to frequently visit the bathroom to avoid leaks. But this habit can weaken the bladder muscles and hold only little urine. Hence training the bladder at timely intervals is important and this also strengthens the muscles and helps the bladder hold more urine.
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Stay hydrated:
We know this can raise a lot of questions. You might assume that drinking less water may not produce enough urine so there may not be any chance of urine leakage. But drinking less water can only make the condition worse and other health disorders may arise.
Also it is important to to drink the right amount of water that is needed for the body, drinking excess amounts of water can lead to increased trips to the bathroom that can weaken the bladder muscles.
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Introduce Kegels’s exercises as a part of the routine:
Your bladder is a home to various different muscles which contract and relax. These muscles are responsible for holding the urine in the bladder without any leakage. But over time these muscles may lose their strength leading to urine leakage.
Kegel’s exercises specifically focus on building pelvic muscle strength which helps improve bladder control and prevents urine leakage. There are various ways to perform Kegel’s exercises you can choose that suits your body.
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Shed those extra kilos and maintain the right BMI:
Most reported cases of urine leakage are in women with higher BMI, the extra kilos put extra pressure on the bladder leading to urine leakage. Hence it is important for women with urine leakage to shed the extra kilos, and women who do not have urinary incontinence can also lose weight to reduce the risk of developing urine leakage.
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Improve your bowel movements and ease the constipation:
If you do not pass the bowels on a regular basis they tend to build up in the intestine putting pressure on the urinary bladder leading to urinary leakage. Consuming fiber foods and staying hydrated can help in easing bowel movements.
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Keep an eye on bladder irritants:
There are certain foods and liquids that can be difficult for the bladder to pass or digest. And continuous consumption of alcohol and caffeine can only make the condition worse. In most cases when people quit consumption of bladder irritants have significantly improved the condition.
Important Takeaway:
Although urinary leakage may sound simple and can be a slight leak. Although this is a minor issue it can be highly influencing your regular life activities. If you are having chronic and persistent urinary leakage it can be a reason for an underlying condition. Reach out to a urinary incontinence surgery in Coimbatore to get immediate treatment for urine leakage.
