Treatment depends on the type of UI you have. Your doctor may recommend you first try self-care treatments.
Make lifestyle changes
You may be able to reduce leaks by making lifestyle changes.
Drink the right amount of liquid at the right time. Ask your doctor whether you should drink less liquid during the day. However, don’t limit liquids to the point of becoming dehydrated. Your doctor can tell you how much and when to drink based on your health, activities, and local climate.
To limit nighttime trips to the bathroom, you may want to stop drinking liquids a few hours before bedtime, but only if your doctor suggests it. Limiting foods and drinks with caffeine, such as chocolate, tea, coffee, and carbonated beverages, may help to reduce leaks. You should also limit alcoholic drinks, which can increase how much urine your body makes.
The amount of urine a person should make is different for everyone, based on how much liquid you drink, how much you sweat, how much liquid you use by breathing, and the medicines you take.
Be physically active. Although you may not feel like being physically active when you have UI, regular physical activity is important for weight management and good overall health. Even something like walking can improve your health. If you’re concerned about not having a bathroom nearby during physical activity, find a place with nearby restrooms, such as a shopping mall, community park, or local gym.
Keep a healthy weight. Your chances of developing UI and other diseases, like diabetes, are higher if you’re overweight or have obesity. Losing weight can help you have fewer leaks, and avoiding weight gain may prevent UI. Studies suggest that, as your body mass index (BMI) increases, you’re more likely to leak. If you’re overweight or have obesity, talk with your doctor about how to lose weight.
Avoid constipation. Constipation, can make urinary tract health worse and can lead to UI. Talk with your doctor about drinking more liquids and eating enough fiber to help avoid constipation. Doctors use medicines called antimuscarinics, such as oxybutynin and tolterodine, tricyclic antidepressants, and beta-3 agonists to treat UI, but they can cause constipation.
Stop smoking. If you smoke, get help to stop smoking. Quitting smoking at any age is good for your bladder health and overall health. Smoking raises your chances of developing stress incontinence, because smoking causes chronic, or long-lasting, coughing. You might improve your UI if you’re able to stop coughing.
Smoking also causes most cases of bladder cancer. Some people say smoking makes their bladder more irritated.
Train your bladder
Bladder training is when you urinate on a schedule to help reduce leaking. Based on a bladder diary, your doctor may suggest using the bathroom on a regular schedule, called timed voiding. Gradually lengthening the time between trips to the bathroom can help stretch your bladder so it can hold more urine. Record your daily bathroom habits so you and your doctor can review your diary.
Do pelvic floor muscle exercises
Strong pelvic floor muscles hold in urine better than weak muscles. You can make your pelvic floor muscles stronger by doing Kegel exercises. These exercises involve tightening and relaxing the muscles that control urine flow. A review of studies showed that women who received pelvic floor muscle training were much more likely to have improvement in their leaking than those women who didn’t get training. You should not do pelvic floor exercises while you’re urinating.
Men can also benefit from pelvic floor muscle exercises. Strengthening these muscles may help a man leak urine less often, especially dribbling after urination.
A health care professional, such a physical therapist trained in pelvic floor therapy, can help you get the most out of your Kegel exercises by helping you improve your core muscle strength. Your core includes your torso muscles, especially the lower back, pelvic floor muscles, and abdomen. These muscles all keep your pelvis lined up with your spine, which helps with good posture and balance. Your physical therapist can show you how to do some exercises during daily activities, such as riding in a car or sitting at a desk.
You don’t need special equipment for Kegel exercises. However, you can learn how to perform Kegel exercises properly by using biofeedback. Biofeedback uses special sensors to measure muscle contractions that control urination.
Control your urge to urinate
You may be able to suppress, or control, the strong urge to urinate, called urge or urgency suppression. With this type of bladder training, you can worry less about finding a bathroom in a hurry. Some people distract themselves to take their mind off needing to urinate. Other people find that long, relaxing breaths or holding still can help. Doing pelvic floor exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor also can help control the urge to urinate. Quick, strong squeezes of the pelvic floor muscles can help suppress urgency when it occurs, which may help you get to the toilet before you leak.