Preventing Urinary Incontinence
Sneeze and laugh without fear with our tips to prevent urinary incontinence
Are you worried about leaking urine when you sneeze, cough or laugh? Many women develop stress urinary incontinence, a condition that causes urine leaks when they work out, laugh, cough, sneeze or lift heavy items. Urine leakage is also a symptom of other types of urinary incontinence. If you haven’t started having problems, we have tips to help you prevent urinary incontinence. If you are just beginning to have issues, you should see our Austin and Dripping Springs OB/GYNs to find out why. Our team can also talk to you about lifestyle changes to help manage the problem.
Preventing urine leaks
Vaginal childbirth, aging and menopause increase your risk of developing stress urinary incontinence, but there are steps you can take to lower your risk and prevent urinary incontinence from starting.
Being overweight or obese puts pressure on your bladder. Talk to our OB/GYNs about healthy ways to lose weight.
Constipation also causes urine leakage, so increase your fiber intake or talk to our Austin and Dripping Springs OB/GYNs about managing your constipation.
If you have conditions that cause you to cough hard or chronically, get treatment to avoid the exertion.
Smoking can irritate the bladder and cause coughing, so plan to stop smoking.
Talk to our team about how to do proper and effective Kegel exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor.
Don’t hold it! Go to the bathroom as soon as possible when you feel like you need to urinate.
Try to avoid alcohol, caffeine, spicy and acidic foods that can irritate your bladder.
Managing urinary incontinence symptoms
If you already have mild symptoms of urinary incontinence, the steps you take to prevent urinary incontinence also help you manage symptoms. Here are some lifestyle changes you can make to improve your quality of life and decrease urine leakage.
See our OB/GYNs, so we can find out what is causing your symptoms.
Talk to our physicians about bladder training.
Look at your urine color. If your urine is pale yellow, your fluid intake is just right. If it turns dark yellow or orange, you may need to drink more to stay hydrated.
Pelvic floor physical therapy may help strengthen your pelvic floor.
Talk to our Austin and Dripping Springs OB/GYNs about how to prevent urinary incontinence
Don’t be afraid or ashamed to talk to our team about urinary incontinence. It’s a common problem, but ignoring it can affect your health and your daily life. Contact us to learn how to prevent urinary incontinence. It’s time to stop worrying about urine leaks every time you laugh, sneeze or exercise.