The first thing a patient suffering from female incontinence should do is to go to the specialist’s office so that he/she knows the personal circumstances of each patient and can carry out a correct study. This study, which includes physical examination, analytical, radiological and urodynamic studies, allows to reach the correct diagnosis to indicate the most appropriate treatment.
Depending on the type of urinary incontinence, treatments may include drugs, physiotherapy, pelvic floor strengthening exercises and different surgical solutions.
However, in order to indicate the most appropriate treatment, it is essential to know the symptoms and determine what type of incontinence is involved.
What types of incontinence are there?
There are different types of urinary incontinence depending on the characteristics:
- Stress urinary incontinence
This is an involuntary leakage of urine that occurs when laughing, coughing, sneezing or lifting weights.
- Urge urinary incontinence
This is the sudden urge to urinate when you hear water running or when you are about to go home. However, you cannot hold it or do anything to stop it.
- Mixed stress and urge incontinence
This type of incontinence occurs when the symptoms and circumstances of the two previous types are combined.
- Other types of incontinence
Apart from the types mentioned above, there may also be other causes that cannot be detected, such as neurological diseases, alterations of the urethra and consumption of certain drugs, among other factors.
How to reduce and prevent incontinence
The best treatment to prevent incontinence is to take care of yourself by following a series of recommendations:
- After pregnancy, it is essential that the gynecologist checks the condition of the pelvic floor muscles, offering advice for good prevention.
- Follow a balanced diet, avoiding overweight.
- Quit smoking, in case the patient is a smoker, in order to avoid chronic cough.
- Reduce consumption of coffee, tea, alcohol, carbonated beverages and spicy foods.
- Do not drink before going to sleep or before practicing sports.
- Increase fiber intake to avoid constipation.
- Urinate regularly so as not to strain the bladder.
- Avoid impact sports.
- Exercise the pelvic floor muscles with the advice of a physiotherapist.
In any case, it is important that, when the patient notices a symptom that may indicate a case of urinary incontinence, she goes to the gynecologist’s office to apply the necessary measures as soon as possible and improve the situation.