Treatment for incontinence depends on the cause, type of incontinence and its severity. Your doctor at urogynecology department will usually suggest a combination of different treatments ranging from behavioral techniques, pelvic floor muscle exercises, medicines, medical devices to surgery in severe cases.
Some of the behavioral techniques or lifestyle changes to treat urinary incontinence include bladder training, double voiding, scheduling toilet trips, losing weight, reducing intake of alcohol, acidic foods and caffeine and reducing intake of fluids, particularly during the evening.
The doctors also recommend doing pelvic floor muscle exercises, also referred as Kegel exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles.
The medicines that are commonly used in the treatment of urinary incontinence are:
- Anticholinergics: These help to calm an overactive bladder and relieve urge incontinence. Some examples are oxybutynin, darifenacin, and trospium.
- Mirabegron: They relax the muscles of the bladder.
- Alpha blockers: These medicines relax the muscles of the bladder neck and muscles in the prostate gland. Some examples are tamsulosin, alfuzosin, and doxazosin.
In some cases, in females, medical devices such as a urethral insert or a pessary may be prescribed to treat urinary incontinence. A pessary is usually prescribed to females who have incontinence due to a prolapsed bladder. A pessary is a ring-shaped device that helps to hold the bladder and other pelvic structures in place and prevents bladder leakage.
Surgery may be done in cases in which other treatments fail to relieve the problem.
