Often the first treatment doctors recommend for bladder control problems is bladder retraining, a type of behavioral therapy that helps you regain control over urination. Bladder control training gradually teaches you to hold in urine for longer and longer periods of time to prevent emergencies and leaks.
Performing pelvic floor exercises — including Kegels, squats, and the bridge — can help strengthen the muscles around and within the bladder to prevent urinary incontinence.
It should take between six to 12 weeks to accomplish your ultimate goal. Don't be discouraged by setbacks. You may find you have good days and bad days. As you continue bladder retraining, you will start to notice more and more good days, so keep practicing.
The bladder is a master at self-repair. When damaged by infection or injury, the organ can mend itself quickly, calling upon specialized cells in its lining to repair tissue and restore a barrier against harmful materials concentrated in urine.
This takes 3 to 6 months.
No, overactive bladder doesn't go away on its own. If you don't treat OAB, your symptoms can get worse, the muscles in your bladder that help control when you pee can become weak and your pelvic floor tissues can get thinner.
Bladder weakness usually occurs when the muscles in the pelvic floor or sphincter have been damaged or weakened. Both men and women have a pelvic floor. It is made up of layers of muscles which hold the bladder and bowel in place and help to stop leaks.
Vitamin C found in foods.
A study done on vitamin c intake in 2060 women, aged 30-79 years of age found that high-dose intake of vitamin c and calcium were positively associated with urinary storage or incontinence, whereas vitamin C from foods and beverages were associated with decreased urinary urgency.
Holding your urine for too long can weaken the bladder muscles over time. This can lead to problems such as incontinence and not being able to fully empty your bladder. Holding your urine for extremely long periods of time can also cause urinary tract infections due to bacteria build-up.
The bladder wall changes. The elastic tissue becomes stiffer and the bladder becomes less stretchy. The bladder cannot hold as much urine as before. The bladder muscles weaken.
Urinalysis. Taking a urine sample allows your doctor to check for conditions that can cause overactive bladder. A urinalysis looks for the presence of these substances in the urine: Bacteria or white blood cells, which could indicate a urinary tract infection or inflammation.
Magnesium. Magnesium is important for proper muscle and nerve function. Some doctors believe better magnesium levels can reduce bladder spasms, a common cause of incontinence. Magnesium levels can be checked through a blood test at your next doctor's visit.
Magnesium has various pharmacologic effects associated with smooth muscle relaxation. In this study, magnesium effectively and safely reduced the incidence of catheter-related bladder discomfort above a moderate grade in patients having transurethral resection of bladder tumor.
The only over-the-counter medication approved for overactive bladder (OAB) is Oxytrol for Women (oxybutynin). It's a patch that's applied to your skin, but it should only be used by women. The best prescription OAB medications are anticholinergics and beta-3 adrenergic agonists.
"Unfortunately, urinary incontinence isn't likely to go away on its own. The good news, however, is that there are things that you can do on your own to improve it, and there are plenty of options for treating it," adds Dr. Lindo.
In most cases, there's no cure for an atonic bladder. Instead, treatment focuses on removing urine from your bladder in other ways to avoid complications.
Coffee and tea
It can increase bladder activity and result in exacerbated symptoms , including higher urgency and frequency of urination, as well as increased incontinence. Reducing or eliminating caffeine intake or switching to decaffeinated varieties can decrease symptoms.
Kegel exercises strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, which support the uterus, bladder, small intestine and rectum. You can do Kegel exercises, also known as pelvic floor muscle training, just about anytime.
UI can occur at any age, but it is more common among women over 50. Urinary incontinence may be a temporary condition that results from an underlying medical condition.