Incontinence treatment: Non-surgical ways to manage bladder weakness

Bladder weakness is the unintentional leaking of urine and is thought to affect millions of people.¹ It is a condition that can be managed in a variety of ways, including medical devices, medicines and surgery.² Luckily, there are plenty of less drastic, non-surgical incontinence treatment options available to you. Some of which, you can even do from your own home.*

Lifestyle changes to treat incontinence

As certain lifestyle factors put stress on your bladder, such as smoking, eating spicy food, drinking alcohol and being overweight³ , you can treat incontinence with adjustments to your habits. Here are some non-surgical lifestyle changes you could consider:

• Losing weight if you are overweight
• Quitting smoking
• Drinking less alcohol
• Eating bladder-friendly foods, such as blueberries and yoghurt.

Incontinence products

To minimisze the impact of urinary incontinence on your daily life, there are lots of discreet products out there for incontinence treatment. At iD, all of our products are high-quality, discreet and approved by dermatologists to help you live life in full view. For mild incontinence or occasional leaks, we would recommend light pads. For moderate to heavy incontinence, there are other options, such as shaped pads and adult pants. To explore more solutions, click here.

Non-surgical training exercises

There are three types of training exercises that you can use to treat incontinence. The first is bladder training. This involves first keeping a bladder diary. You do so by:

1. Noting down any time you go to the toilet
2. Noting down when you have the urge to go
3. Noting down if/when you have any leaks.

Using the diary as a guide, you can learn to schedule toilet visits. In a safe, comfortable environment, you can do this by:

1. Determining how often you go to the toilet, e.g. every hour
2. Adding 15 minutes to that time, e.g. if you’re going every hour, go to the toilet after one hour and 15 minutes. This trains your bladder muscles to hold in urine for longer and reassures your mind that you can hold it.
3. Always using the toilet for each scheduled visit, even if you don’t feel the need to go.
4. Gradually increasing the amount of time between toilet breaks. ⁴

Secondly, you could try delaying urination. This means that when you feel the urge to urinate, you wait before going to the toilet. You start with small delays, like 15-30 minutes, and gradually work your way up.⁵

Pelvic floor exercises

The third non-surgical incontinence treatment is pelvic floor exercises (sometimes known as Kegel exercises). Your pelvic floor muscles are those you use to stop the flow of urine when you wee. You can strengthen them by squeezing them 10 to 15 times three times a day. ⁶ For a step-by-step guide on pelvic floor exercises, check out this blogpost.

*iD advises you to seek the advice of your doctor if your symptoms are causing you distress and before trying any of these tips.

[1] “Urinary Incontinence”, NHS, 7 November 2019, Source: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/urinary-incontinence/
[2] “Urinary Incontinence”, Mayo Staff Clinic, n.d., Source: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/urinary-incontinence/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20352814
[3] Ibid.
[4] “Bladder Training”, Nadia Q Bandukwala, 4 June 2019, Source: https://www.webmd.com/urinary-incontinence-oab/bladder-training-techniques
[5] “Overactive bladder”, Mayo Clinic Staff, n.d., Source: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/overactive-bladder/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20355721
[6] “What are pelvic floor exercises?”, NHS, 14 April 2020, Source: https://www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/womens-health/what-are-pelvic-floor-exercises/