Urinary Incontinence: Causes And Treatments

Urinary incontinence makes you unable to fill and control your bladder. However, it is not a disease in itself. Instead, it is a consequence of basic disorders that affects the bladder.

The defining characteristics of urinary incontinence are the involuntary loss of urine. A person with urinary incontinence cannot control his bladder, so urine leaks out at inappropriate times. Sometimes urine leaks out when making an effort with the body, such as sneezing or coughing. Other times it can happen because one’s bladder is too full.

Urinary incontinence is not just a physical health problem. People who suffer from it also experience social consequences. They are often afraid of leaking at inappropriate times or in front of other people.

Causes of transient urinary incontinence

Transient urinary incontinence  occurs when urinary incontinence does not occur for a very long time. In general, foods, beverages or medications that stimulate the production of urine can cause it. When the diuretic effect stops, the urinary incontinence disappears.

Some drugs that can cause this are sodas, alcohol, citrus fruits and certain types of medications for high blood pressure. Other reasons are:

• Urinary tract infections: Irritation of the bladder can be intense enough to cause leakage of urine.
• Constipation: The intestines are close to the bladder and can stimulate it if you have hard stools.
• Pregnancy: During pregnancy, both hormonal changes and the enlargement of the uterus can make one’s bladder hyperactive.

Causes of chronic urinary incontinence

On the other hand , urinary incontinence that lasts for a long time has other causes:

• Prolapse: When the muscles of the pelvic floor are weak, the organs of the pelvic floor are lowered. For example, this happens to women with complicated births or births with multiple babies. When these structures are lowered, it is called “prolapse”.
• Age: Aging weakens the muscles in your body, including the muscles in the bladder. In women, menopause lowers the amount of estrogen and also degrades the tissues of the urinary system.
• Gynecological surgeries: The bladder is an organ that other organs hold in place, especially the uterus. Once women have had surgery in this area, they may experience urinary incontinence.
• Prostate problems: In men, prostate problems often cause urinary incontinence. The first of these is prostate hyperplasia and the second, which is more serious, is prostate cancer.
• Neurological disorders: Certain problems with the nervous system can hit the nerves in your bladder and cause it to leak. The technical term is “neurogenic bladder”. It can actually happen with conditions such as Parkinson’s and multiple sclerosis.

• Psychological Causes: Stress and anxiety can also cause this bladder problem. Bedwetting in children under the age of six is ​​an example of this.

Non-pharmacological treatments

You do not always need medication to treat urinary incontinence. One of the primary recommendations is to regulate how much fluid one drinks during a day. One can do this without reducing the quantities. One can actually change his drinking routines to avoid the formation of large amounts of urine in a short time.

The best routine to follow is to  drink more water in the morning and then decrease the amount as the day goes on. With children peeing in bed, it is sometimes best to eat dinner earlier. That way, there is more time between dinner and bedtime.

Medicine

Sometimes you can not solve the problem yourself, no matter how hard you try. Then you may have to resort to medication. Other times, urinary incontinence is caused by a disease that needs specific medication.

These types of medications aim to  ensure that the bladder does not contract involuntarily. In addition, they ensure that the urethra stays close when urine penetrates the bladder. For this, doctors will usually give anticholinergics.

This type of medication makes it harder for the muscles in the bladder to contract. The most common is called oxybutynin. Anticholinergics are very effective, but they can cause some unpleasant side effects. 

However, patients suffering from glaucoma and cardiac arrhythmia cannot take this medication. For those who have no contraindications, talk to a doctor about stopping treatment if the side effects are too intense.

Finally, if neither medicine nor diet works, then the last option is surgery.