7 smart ways to reduce incontinence

Incontinence is a common problem and there are many different techniques to help relieve it. Here are seven simple ways to reduce incontinence that you might want to try.

One of the best treatments for urge or stress incontinence is performing pelvic floor muscle exercises called Kegels. The beauty of these exercises is that they can be done anywhere.

• Start by pulling in or squeezing your pelvic muscles as if you were trying to stop the flow of urine or keep from passing gas. Count to 10 as you hold the contraction, relax, and repeat. That's it!
• Try to perform at least three sets of 10 contractions a day.
• Start out lying down, then once you're good at them, perform your Kegels while standing in line, driving, sitting in church — you get the idea.
• In one study comparing Kegels with medication, participants who did Kegels saw their epsiodes of incontinence drop by 81 percent, compared to a 69 percent drop in patients taking prescription medication.
• The combination of medication plus Kegels, however, works best for urge incontinence.

If pelvic exercises aren't doing it for you, you may want to consider a prosthetic device to help prevent incontinence.

• There are several, including an adhesive foam patch you put over the urethral opening, a balloonlike catheter device you insert into the urethra, a silicon device that sticks to the top of the urethral opening like a suction cup, and vaginal devices designed to support the neck of the bladder.

Sometimes incontinence in middle-aged or older women is related to low levels of estrogen. This hormone plays a role in the strength and overall health of the muscles that control the bladder as well as the bladder and urethra themselves.

• Talk to your healthcare professional about using vaginal estrogen.
• Because the estrogen is inserted into the vagina via a cream or tablet, very little gets into your bloodstream, but enough gets to the urinary tract to help reduce incontinence.

Certain medications can induce incontinence, including many diuretics, asthma drugs, alpha blockers, narcotic pain relievers, anticholinergics, calcium channel blockers, and angiotensin-converting-enzyme (ACE) inhibitors.

• If you aren't sure which types of medicines you take, ask your doctor for help.

With this approach, you work out a urination schedule with your doctor.

• Initially, you urinate every hour or two whether you need to go or not, then gradually reduce the frequency to train your bladder to hold urine.
• This approach is best for urge incontinence, with studies finding it more effective than the major medication prescribed for the condition.

Acupuncture appears to be a safe, effective treatment for urge incontinence, reducing symptoms in four to six weeks of treatment.

• However, the relief is likely to be short term, and you may need additional follow-up treatments.

If you're overweight or obese, there's more pressure on the neck of the bladder, increasing the risk of incontinence. Losing weight can help.

Incontinence can be an embarrassing problem, but with so many different options, you can quickly find a solution that works for you.