10 Ways to Manage and Prevent Stress Incontinence

Do you leak urine when you cough, sneeze, or laugh? These actions, many of which can be involuntary, put extra pressure on the bladder and can cause urine to escape from the urethra in those with stress incontinence.

While stress incontinence is very common (affecting around a third of all adult women at some point in their lives), the symptoms can be embarrassing and difficult to live with. Many women struggle to talk about their symptoms, which prevents them from getting the help they need to manage their condition.

Here at Jude, we are passionate about destigmatising urinary incontinence by providing valuable resources. In this article, we'll provide you with 10 ways to manage and prevent stress incontinence so that you can feel confident as you go about your day-to-day activities.

A Closer Look at Stress Incontinence

Urine leakage caused by physical actions, such as laughing, coughing, lifting, running, and sneezing, is referred to as stress urinary incontinence. Despite what you may think when you hear the name 'stress incontinence', this type of incontinence is not caused by mental stress.

Rather, it is caused by the urinary sphincter not adequately closing the bladder outlet when extra abdominal pressure occurs and leading to pee to escaping during those physical actions.

Symptoms

• You leak urine when you cough, sneeze, lift, etc.

• Night time incontinence - you wake up to find that you have leaked while asleep.

Causes

Stress incontinence is primarily caused by weakened pelvic floor muscles, which are the muscles responsible for supporting your bladder and urethra. The pelvic floor muscles also help control the release of urine through the urinary sphincter.

Your pelvic floor muscles naturally weaken as you go through menopause but can also become damaged during pregnancy and childbirth. Additionally, your pelvic floor muscles can get damaged if you are in an accident or fall from a significant height.

10 Ways to Manage and Prevent Stress Incontinence

Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to manage and prevent stress incontinence. Urine leaks don't need to ruin or rule your life! Here are just a few of our top prevention and management tips for urinary incontinence.

1. Wear leak-proof underwear

Wearing leak-proof pants can give you the confidence you need to go about your daily life without the worry of urine leakage getting in your way. Our leak-proof incontinence pants are designed to hold up to 8 teaspoons of pee, allowing you to stay dry even if you do have a few leaks throughout the day.

While incontinence underwear won't cure stress incontinence, it acts as an effective management tool and allows you to live a 'normal' life without constantly stressing about whether or not you're leaking. The best part about them is that they are comfortable and affordable!

2. Take bladder care supplements

Bladder supplements are designed to support bladder health in those who experience stress incontinence. Jude's bladder care supplements have been helpful for many women who wish to support their bladder.

3. Try pelvic floor muscle training

Kegel exercises can help strengthen your pelvic floor muscles, which will give you greater control over your bladder. You can find pelvic floor exercises online or you could go to a physiotherapist, who can help guide you through these exercises and explain the proper techniques. Seeing a pelvic floor physiotherapist can also ensure that the exercises are tailored to your pelvic floor and what it needs.

Most of these exercises consist of contracting and relaxing the pelvic muscles in various positions.

4. Keep a bladder diary

Many urinary incontinence experts recommend keeping a bladder diary so you can keep track of the number of leaks you experience each day and when they happen.

Not only will this help you identify potential triggers of your incontinence, but your bladder diary will also be a useful tool for your doctor. Your GP or urologist can use this information when it comes to providing a diagnosis and offering treatment options.

Just remember to also keep track of what you eat and drink as this may help you identify irritants.

5. Healthy lifestyle changes

Improving your overall health may help minimise your incontinence symptoms. You can start by eating a healthier diet and ensuring you drink plenty of water throughout the day.

While lifting heavy weights may trigger your incontinence, you can still participate in gentle exercises like walking, cycling, and swimming.

Maintaining a healthy weight can also reduce any unnecessary pressure on your bladder.

6. Stay away from bladder irritants

Did you know that caffeinated drinks like tea and coffee can cause bladder irritation? While bladder irritants are more important to consider in overactive bladder ( a condition where you experience urgency and frequent toilet trips), avoiding them can also be helpful in those with stress incontinence. Moderation is key and it is best to find out what triggers your bladder the most. Examples of potential bladder irritants include::

• Alcohol

• Coffee

• Tea

• Energy drinks

• Acidic foods: citrus fruits and tomato

• Artificial sweeteners

7. Avoid lifting

While you may struggle to avoid laughing, sneezing, and coughing, you can avoid things like running and lifting heavy weights. Any physical exertion that results in pee leaks should be avoided when possible if you want to manage your incontinence symptoms.

Luckily, there are plenty of other exercises you can do that don't put too much pressure on your bladder.

8. Wear incontinence pads

Jude's incontinence pads are ideal if you experience medium leaks and gushes. These comfy, absorbent pads are made from plant-based materials and are perfect for everyday wear. You'll stay dry as you go about your day and will hardly even notice the fact that you're wearing a pad thanks to the slim and comfortable design.

9. Treat constipation

Treating chronic constipation has been proven to greatly improve stress incontinence. Constipation puts extra strain on your bladder and the surrounding muscles, so it's important that you maintain healthy bowel movements if you want to manage your stress urinary incontinence.

10. Manage your stress levels

While stress is not a direct cause of incontinence, your stress and anxiety might be making your urinary incontinence worse. Anxiety-induced urination is quite common in women of all ages, so make sure you take the time to manage your stress levels.

You could try relaxation techniques like taking warm baths, reading a book, or joining a yoga class. Try to keep a positive mindset and find ways to unwind after a busy day.

Surgery for Stress Incontinence

If you've tried all the management and prevention tips and find that they're not working, you could be a candidate for surgery. While surgery can help fix stress incontinence, it doesn't treat urge incontinence, so you may still experience urgency to pee after surgery if you have mixed incontinence.

Surgery is performed to strengthen the bladder and urethra by either lifting the sagging bladder, placing a sling around the urethra, or injecting material around the urethra.

Surgery also comes with its risks, including difficulty urinating, injury to the bladder, and infection. Make sure you consider all the risks and consult with your doctor before opting for surgery.

FAQs

What are the other types of urinary incontinence?

Stress incontinence is just one type of urinary incontinence. Other types include:

• Urge incontinence - preceded by a sudden urge to urinate

• Mixed incontinence - a mixture of stress incontinence and urge incontinence

• Overflow incontinence - you constantly leak urine because your bladder doesn't empty properly

• Functional incontinence - you don't make it to the bathroom in time because of a physical or mental barrier

What are the risk factors for urinary incontinence?

Some of the risk factors for urinary incontinence include:

• Menopause

• Obesity

• Smoking

• Recurrent urinary tract infections

• Pregnancy

• Constipation

• Overactive bladder

• Diabetes

Will stress incontinence symptoms go away on their own?

No, unfortunately, incontinence symptoms are likely to get worse if not treated properly. It is very unlikely that symptoms will go away on their own, so be sure to implement preventative and management techniques. If you do exercises that support your pelvic floor however, then you may notice improvement through this alone.

When should I see a doctor about my stress incontinence symptoms?

If you are experiencing stress incontinence symptoms, you should make an appointment with your GP as soon as possible. Your GP will be able to diagnose your condition, provide treatment options, and recommend a specialist if need be.

When you arrive at your appointment with your GP, they will most likely ask you about your medical history and how long you've been experiencing urinary incontinence. They may conduct a physical exam to try to determine the cause of your incontinence.

Final Thoughts

Despite what you may think are embarrassing symptoms, stress incontinence is nothing to be ashamed of. Thousands of women around the world experience urine leakage and it is about time this topic became less stigmatised.

Here at Jude, we aim to break taboos surrounding urinary incontinence by sharing helpful resources and developing effective incontinence products, such as our leak-proof pants and bladder support supplements.

Try to keep a positive mindset surrounding your stress incontinence and rest assured that plenty of women are going through the same thing as you. Through management and prevention techniques, you should be able to alleviate your symptoms!

Jude’s clinically proven supplements give you better bladder and pelvic floor control, helping you sleep through the night and regain the freedom to live life on your own terms. With just one capsule morning and night, you'll have relief from need-to-go urgency in just 12 weeks.