TURN OFF the tap
WAYS TO COMBAT BLADDER LEAKAGE AND STOP INCONTINENCE IN ITS TRACKS
There’s probably not a health subject less sexy than urinary incontinence, but one in three women will experience it, according to new research by women’s products company Always Discreet. “We broadly divide bladder leakage into two types: stress incontinence where you laugh, cough or do a star jump and some wee comes out,” says GP Dr Ginni Mansberg. “That’s more common after pregnancy or if you’re carrying too much weight or are constipated. The other type is urge incontinence, which is when you leak when you can’t make it to the loo in time.” Here’s how to improve things.
1 Find your pelvic floor muscles
This is only as a test, not something you should do more than once, or your bladder can get very irritated, explains Always Discreet’s Pelvic Health Physiotherapist, Lori Forner. “Sit on the toilet, start emptying your bladder, try to stop the flow and hold for 2 seconds while you keep breathing, then relax and finish emptying your bladder. If you were able to do that, you have found your pelvic floor muscles. If you couldn’t, you need to see a physiotherapist trained in pelvic floor rehabilitation.”
2 Work on relaxing them
“Squeeze the muscles and gently pull them up inside. Keep breathing, hold them for 2 seconds and relax. Do this 10 times lying down, 10 times sitting, and 10 times standing every day. Every couple of days, add 1 extra second,” says Forner.
3 Talk to your GP
“Don’t feel embarrassed or that there’s nothing you can do about it. Leakage is often treatable or preventable. We need to asses you and see what’s happening, it could be a urinary infection or a number of things,” says Dr Mansberg.
4 Practise “the knack”
“Remember to squeeze and lift pelvic floor muscles before you stand up, lift something, cough, sneeze, and laugh. Once you find your pelvic floor muscle awareness, doing this strength training will help,” says Forner.
5 Learn to suppress
Urge incontinence is often associated with an overactive bladder. “Finding different strategies to calm the bladder down when you feel the urge to wee is helpful. Stop and stand in place when the urge comes, breathe and curl your toes, squeeze your pelvic floor, count backwards from 100, then continue walking to the toilet,” says Forner.