How to Stop Female Urine Leakage?

• 27/06/2024
• 0

How to Stop Female Urine Leakage? – Urinary incontinence is an involuntary loss of urine and can vary from rare leakage to recurring wetting. In simple words, the inability to hold the urination. 

The prevalence of urinary incontinence in women in India is generally between 21% and 45%. It is a common problem impacting an extensive range of women causing a sense of discomfort, humiliation, and loss of self-esteem. This medical health condition affects the quality of life and can interfere with enjoying or performing daily activities. 

The urinary system consists of kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra. The kidneys act as filters, cleaning waste from your blood and turning it into urine. The urine travels down two tubes called ureters into the bladder, where it’s stowed until you’re ready to go to the bathroom. When the bladder gets full, it signals the brain to urinate, and then the urine is exerted out of the body through the urethra.

When everything works well, you can take away some time to use the bathroom without experiencing any leakage. But, if there is malfunctioning in the whole process of the urinary system, it leads to a health condition known as urinary incontinence, which can happen for many reasons.

Many women experience this involuntary or uncontrollable leakage due to physical exertion or activity that is prone to put more pressure on the bladder. There is a myth that older women are more prone to suffer from urinary incontinence; while it is a hoax concept. However, it is more common in older people it can happen to anyone or in any age group. 

Different Types of Urinary Incontinence

Incontinence refers to the involuntary loss of urine. There are several types of incontinence. These types have different causes, characteristics, and triggers for urine leakage. Knowing the type of incontinence is often an important part of the diagnosis and treatment plan for incontinence. 

The types of incontinence include:

• Stress Incontinence: a type of incontinence that occurs while performing any physical activity that often puts more pressure on the abdomen. This type of incontinence causes urine leakage in situations like laughing, coughing, sneezing, running, jumping, or lifting things. All these activities increase pressure on the bladder, and you are more likely to suffer from leaking urine problems. Women after childbirth have a higher risk of stress incontinence.

• Urge Incontinence: This type of incontinence is characterized by a strong need to urinate immediately. Often this happens too quickly before even reaching the toilet and eventually, the urine begins to leak. Urge incontinence can be caused by a condition called overactive bladder (OAB).
• Overflow Incontinence: In this condition, your bladder does not get completely emptied every time you urinate, and you may have the feeling of fullness or overflowing of the bladder–they risk leakage. It usually leaks small amounts of urine over time instead of one big stream. This type of incontinence is more common in people with chronic conditions such as multiple sclerosis (MS), stroke, or diabetes.

• Mixed Incontinence: It is a combination of stress and urge incontinence causing several problems, all leading to leakage problems. If you have incontinence, you may be dealing with stress incontinence and an overactive bladder. It is often important to be careful what you do when you have leakage problems with this type of incontinence.

Transient Incontinence: This is temporary incontinence, or usually for the short-term. It is caused by certain medications, urinary tract infections, or constipation. Urinary incontinence generally improves after the underlying cause is treated.

Causes and the Symptoms of Urinary Leakages in Females

Urinary Incontinence is not an irresistible effect of ageing, however, it is more common in older people. It is a treatable and manageable health condition that can be caused due to certain reasons. It includes: 

• Ageing
• Pregnancy or Childbirth
• Obesity
• Weakened pelvic floor muscles
• Urinary tract infection
• Certain medications, or surgery
• Poor functioning of the kidneys

Symptoms

The following are the common signs and symptoms associated with urinary incontinence or bladder control problems. 

• Minor to moderate leaking of urine
• Frequent urination
• Unable to empty bladder
• Straining sensation while urinating
• Wetting while sleeping
• Urinating intermittently 
• Resisting holding urination

Note: The above-mentioned signs resemble urinary incontinence problems. If you notice or going through these symptoms get a sooner diagnosis or seek medical assistance.

Ways to Stop the Urinary Leakage in Female

As urinary incontinence encounters several individuals, women are often seeking alternatives or struck with the question, how to stop female urine leakage?

To help you out Dr Ahuja Clinic showcases the self-help tips and key lifestyle changes that will help in managing or relieving the symptoms.

• Pelvic floor or Kegel exercises including stretching, relaxing muscles, and repeating the process can help strengthen your pelvic floor, which can weaken after childbirth or aging. 
• Smoking irritates the lining of the bladder and also causes coughing, neither of which is helpful for an overactive bladder. Hence it is highly prescribed to cut down the smoking or alcohol consumption.
• Obesity can increase the risk of urinary incontinence. You may be able to reduce your risk by maintaining a healthy weight through regular exercise and a healthy diet.
• Avoid drinking caffeine or lots of fluids before starting an activity. If you are suffering from frequent urination and leakage at night, you should avoid drinking sugar beverages.
• Many people with incontinence avoid drinking fluids because they think it will cause more urination. Restricting fluid intake, on the other hand, worsens urinary incontinence because it reduces bladder capacity. Hence, drink the appropriate amount of fluids.
• When home remedies or non-surgical treatments do not provide the relief needed for bladder leakage or prolapse, there are surgical options to treat these conditions, including minimally invasive vaginal, laparoscopic, and robotic surgeries
• There are over-the-counter devices such as vaginal plugs that can be placed in the vagina that can support the urethra and help reduce stress incontinence in women.
• Health supplements containing magnesium or magnesium-enriched foods such as leafy vegetables, nuts, and seeds are prescribed to add to your diet. Magnesium helps improve the functioning of the bladder. 

Conclusion

Urinary Incontinence caused by several reasons, may lead to further consequences if not taken seriously on time. This is an uncontrolled bladder problem that can be treated or managed completely under medical guidance.

Dr Ruchi Rai Ahuja is an experienced gynae doctor who offers various treatments and a complete guide on the preventive measures to get rid of urinary leakage.