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Urinary Incontinence Treatments
Treatment for Urinary Incontinence
Your physician will determine the specific treatment for urinary incontinence based on:
- Your age, overall health and medical history
- Extent of the disease
- Your tolerance for specific medications, procedures or therapies
- Expectations for the course of the disease
- Your opinion or preference
Your treatment options include:
Behavioral Therapies
Our team can help people regain control of their bladder with therapies including:
- Bladder training: Teaches people to resist the urge to void and gradually expands the intervals between voiding
- Toileting assistance: Uses routine or scheduled toileting, habit training schedules and prompted voiding to empty the bladder regularly to prevent leaking
Pelvic Muscle Rehabilitation
Physical therapy can improve pelvic muscle tone and prevent leakage. Rehab techniques include:
- Kegel exercises: Regular, daily exercising of pelvic muscles can improve or prevent urinary incontinence and is particularly helpful for younger women. Should be performed 30 to 80 times daily for at least eight weeks.
- Biofeedback: Electronic monitoring helps people gain awareness and control of their pelvic muscles, when used in conjunction with Kegel exercises.
- Vaginal weight training: Small weights are held within the vagina by tightening the vaginal muscles. Should be performed for 15 minutes, twice daily, for four to six weeks.
- Pelvic floor electrical stimulation: Mild electrical pulses stimulate muscle contractions; should be performed in conjunction with Kegel exercises.
Medication for Incontinence
Your physician may prescribe medications such as:
- Specific drugs for incontinence
- Estrogen therapy, which may be helpful in conjunction with other treatments for postmenopausal women with UI
Surgery
You may need surgery if the incontinence is related to structural problems such as an abnormally positioned bladder or a blockage.
Diet Modifications
Changes in what you drink can help reduce incidents of incontinence, such as eliminating:
- Caffeine in coffee, soda and tea
- Alcohol
Managing Urinary Incontinence
We can work with you on different ways to manage your urinary incontinence. Some techniques include:
- Wearing specifically designed absorbent underclothing, which is no more bulky than normal underwear and can be worn easily under everyday clothing
- Inserting a catheter into the urethra and collecting the urine into a container
Clinical Trials
Clinical trials are research studies that evaluate a new medical approach, device, drug, or other treatment. As a Stanford Health Care patient, you may have access to the latest, advanced clinical trials.
Open trials refer to studies currently accepting participants. Closed trials are not currently enrolling, but may open in the future.