Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsTriggersExercisesDiet and LifestyleSpecialist ProceduresComplicationsCoping Tips
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Triggers
Exercises
Diet and Lifestyle
Specialist Procedures
Complications
Coping Tips
Stress incontinence is a type of urinary incontinence in which a small amount of urine (“pee”) leaks out whenever you cough, laugh, sneeze, or do any physical activity that exerts pressure on the bladder.
Fortunately, you can take steps to help manage this common but aggravating condition, including changing your diet, performing certain exercises, losing weight, and wearing bladder control pads. Severe cases may require specialist treatment, including a type of surgery called a sling procedure.
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A Note on Gender and Sex TerminologyVerywell Health acknowledges thatsex and genderare related concepts, but they are not the same. To accurately reflect our sources, this article uses terms like “male," “female,” “men” and “women” as the sources use them.
A Note on Gender and Sex Terminology
Verywell Health acknowledges thatsex and genderare related concepts, but they are not the same. To accurately reflect our sources, this article uses terms like “male,” “female,” “men” and “women” as the sources use them.
Stress Incontinence Triggers
This includes theurethral sphincters, a pair of muscular valves that regulate urine flow from thebladderto the urethra.
It also involves thepelvic floor musclessituated between the genitals and anus that you voluntarily squeeze to slow or stop peeing.
If these muscles weaken, any external pressure on the abdomen can squeeze urine out of the bladder, causing dribbling and leakage.
Physical activities that cause stress incontinence include:
Risk Factors
Studies suggest that between 15% and 35% of adults experience urinary incontinence. Stress incontinence, the most common type, affects females at a rate three times greater than that of males.
Certain factors can increase the risk of stress incontinence. These include conditions that exert pressure on the bladder and others that damage the nerves that control the urethral sphincters.
Risk factors for stress incontinence include
Risk factors specific to females include:
Risk factors specific to males include:
How Young Can You Be With Stress Incontinence?Stress incontinence can happen at any age but tends to occur slightly more frequently in females between the ages of 41 and 55 than those between the ages of 25 and 40.
How Young Can You Be With Stress Incontinence?
Stress incontinence can happen at any age but tends to occur slightly more frequently in females between the ages of 41 and 55 than those between the ages of 25 and 40.
Why Stress Is Only One Part of Incontinence
It is not uncommon for stress incontinence to co-occur withother forms of incontinence, such asurge incontinence. Urge incontinence is when you have the sudden, uncontrollable urge to pee before the loss of bladder control.
This co-occurrence, known as mixed incontinence, affects nearly 1 in 3 people with incontinence.Mixed incontinence is harder to treat,and it has a higher risk of recurrence than stress incontinence alone (41% vs. 31%, respectively).
This is why it is important to get an accurate diagnosis from a specialist called aurologistorobstetrician-gynecologist (ob-gyn)to ensure that the right treatments are dispensed.
Other forms of incontinence include overflow incontinence (in which the bladder overfills and leaks without the urge to pee) and functional incontinence (in which physical or mental limitations affect your ability to get to the bathroom on time).
Which Specialists Treat Urinary Incontinence?
Exercises to Train Stress Incontinence Muscles
One of the best ways to treat stress incontinence is with exercises that strengthen the pelvic floor muscles. Doing so can help prevent dribbling even if the urethral sphincters are weak.
Other exercises that target the pelvic floor muscles can also be added.
Kegel Exercises
To do Kegel exercises:
Squats
Squats are excellent because they engage yourcore musclesand the muscles around your pelvis. Keep your buttocks and pelvic floor muscles tight throughout the movements for the best results.
To do squats:
Bridges
Bridges are a type of floor exercise that can strengthen yourgluteus(buttock) musclesin addition to your pelvic floor muscles and lower back.
To do the bridge:
How Effective Are Pelvic Floor Exercises?
Pelvic Floor Exercises You Should Try
Dietary and Lifestyle Interventions With Weak Bladder
Certain dietary and lifestyle changes can help reduce the severity and frequency of stress incontinence. Key to this is the management of fluids, losing excess weight, eating the correct diet, and quitting cigarettes.
Fluid Management
You should also limit the intake of alcohol, which has a diuretic effect (meaning that it promotes urination). Caffeine in coffee, black tea, and colas has the same effects and can also trigger bladder contractions. Fizzy drinks may be problematic if you have mixed incontinence.
It’s important never to deprive yourself of fluids as this can lead toconstipation. Chronic constipation and straining can weaken the pelvic muscles and make stress incontinence worse.
Weight Loss
Obesity contributes to stress incontinence in two ways. First, the added weight weakens pelvic floor muscles.Second, it increasesvisceral fatsurrounding abdominal organs, making it easier to compress the bladder when bending, moving, or engaging in physical activities.
Weight loss, combined with pelvic floor exercises, can help reverse these issues. Work with a healthcare provider to design a sustainable program involving routine exercise and a nutrient-rich,low-saturated fat diet.
Studies have also shown that moderate physical activity decreases the risk of urinary incontinence in middle‐aged and older women.Almost any type of exercise can help strengthen pelvic floor muscles, including swimming, walking, and cycling. Try to exercise on most days of the week.
Diet
Although there is no such thing as an incontinence diet, studies have shown that stress incontinence is strongly linked to a high consumption ofsaturated fat. Saturated fats are those derived from animals, including meat and dairy products.
Along with avoiding alcohol and caffeine, cutting back on fatty red meat, full-fat dairy, and processed food rich in saturated andtrans fatcan be an important part of the treatment plan.
AMediterranean dietrich in fruits, vegetables, fish, and extra-virgin olive oil may also be effective for people with mixed incontinence.
What Foods Are High in Saturated Fat?
Stopping Smoking
Work With a SpecialistIt is important to note that some of the measures used to treat urge incontinence or overflow incontinence may not help if you have stress incontinence. Speak with a urologist to find the plan that’s right for you.
Work With a Specialist
It is important to note that some of the measures used to treat urge incontinence or overflow incontinence may not help if you have stress incontinence. Speak with a urologist to find the plan that’s right for you.
When Symptoms Warrant Specialist Procedures and Surgery
When lifestyle changes and exercise fail to control bladder leakage, prescription medications and specialist procedures may be recommended. These include surgeries typically reserved for more severe cases.
Medications
In the United States, no medications are specifically approved for the treatment of stress incontinence.
Even so, some experts suggest that the risks of treatment may outweigh the benefits. Among other concerns, studies suggest that Cymbalta may increase the risk of suicidal behaviors in women with stress incontinence.
Several minimally invasive procedures can be used to treat moderate to severe cases of stress incontinence. Some have proven highly effective and may help you avoid more invasive procedures like surgery.
Some of these options include:
Surgeries
When conservative treatments fail to provide relief, surgery may be a reasonable option. Four types are commonly used for people with stress incontinence:
The risks of surgery for stress incontinence include postoperative infection, urinary tract infections, difficulty urinating, and injury to nerves or blood vessels of the bladder.
Some people may also have continued incontinence, while others may experience new incontinence (including a nerve-related form of incontinence calledneurogenic bladder).
Short- and Long-Term Stress Incontinence Effects
Stress incontinence can take an emotional toll on your life, causing discomfort or anxiety that can lead to social isolation, depression, and a reduced quality of life. Some studies have shown that stress incontinence can directly interfere with work productivity and influence key career decisions, such as whether to start a new job.
Stress incontinence can also impact sexual relationships, particularly among women. This can contribute to a reduction in the frequency of sex or lead to the complete avoidance of sex. This appears to be irrespective of how long or recently the condition occurred.
Possible complications of stress incontinence include:
Tips to Make Living With Stress Incontinence Easier
There are ways to cope and live well while finding an effective treatment for stress incontinence. Planning is key.
In addition to Kegel exercises and changes in diet, people living with stress incontinence will often recommend the following to reduce anxiety and stress:
9 Best Incontinence Pads for Bladder Leakage
Summary
Stress incontinence is caused when a physical activity like laughing, sneezing, or lifting heavy objects causes you to leak a little urine. Females are more vulnerable to stress incontinence, as are people who smoke, have obesity or diabetes, or have conditions that cause chronic coughing.
Stress incontinence can often be effectively managed with Kegel exercises, fluid management, weight loss, changes in diet, and smoking cessation. If needed, medications like Cymbalta, devices like vaginal pessaries, or specialist treatments like urethral bulking can be used. Severe cases may benefit from surgery, most commonly a midurethral sling procedure.
27 Sources
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