AVOID BLADDER IRRITANTS. Certain foods and beverages can contribute to overactive bladder by irritating the bladder. These include chocolate, tea, coffee, soft drinks, citrus fruits, fruit juices, honey, sugar, tomato-based products, spicy foods, and alcohol.- NO SMOKING. Apart from the damage that smoking causes, nicotine can irritate the bladder. So smokers are urged to quit.
- FLUID RESTRICTION. Limit fluid intake to about 64 ounces per day, but don’t over-restrict below that level, as concentrated urine may irritate that bladder and also contribute to constipation.
- WEIGHT LOSS. For obese women, weight loss can reduce incontinence by up to 60%.
- GOOD HYGIENE. Keep genitals clean. Avoid exposure to urine for long periods.
- PADS. With severe incontinence, use absorbent pads instead of menstrual pads, as they provide better absorbency and better skin protection.
- KEGEL EXERCISES. Urogenital muscle exercises that are sometimes helpful for stress incontinence.
- VAGINAL CONES. Small cone-shaped devices placed and held in the vagina have been shown to help a woman determine which muscles to contract and relax for Kegel exercises.
ELECTRICAL STIMULATION. Painless therapy that retrains the pelvic floor muscles used in urination.- BIOFEEDBACK. A technique that teaches a woman to mentally isolate and control a bodily function (in this case, to contract the pelvic floor muscles).
- TIMED VOIDING. A technique for overactive bladder in which a woman schedules times to go to the bathroom and gradually increases the length of time between trips, thereby training the bladder to hold more and empty less often.
- MEDICATIONS. A variety is available for different causes and types of incontinence.
- SURGERY. There are many surgical techniques for complex problems and to correct anatomical defects.
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