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Treatments - Bladder function 

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There are different options available to help control bladder problems. These include:

  • lifestyle changes
  • pelvic floor exercises
  • bladder retraining
  • medication
  • surgery
  • catheters
  • products that capture urine, such as sheaths and pads
Lifestyle changes
For some people, managing symptoms can be as simple as making a few lifestyle changes, such as modifying diet and fluid intake.

Pelvic floor (Kegel) exercises
These exercises are designed to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles that support the bladder and close the sphincters. Two different exercises are recommended:

  1. Slowly contract and lift the pelvic floor muscles and hold the position for five seconds 
  2. Quickly contract and release the pelvic floor muscles
You need to do the exercises regularly and it may take several months before you see a significant improvement. Women can also do pelvic floor exercises using vaginal weights.

Bladder retraining
Bladder retraining aims to gradually stretch the bladder so that it can hold larger and larger volumes of urine – and the ultimate goal is to increase the time between each urination to 3-4 hours. The technique involves urinating at planned intervals of increasing duration. It requires determination and is most successful if symptoms are mild.

Medication
Drugs are prescribed for all types of incontinence, but they are generally most useful for urge incontinence, particularly when combined with pelvic floor exercises and bladder training.

Medication that may be prescribed includes anticholinergics, alpha blockers, 5-alpha reductase inhibitors, the antidepressant imipramine and antibiotics.

Stress incontinence is usually managed without medication.

Surgery
A variety of surgical procedures are available for the treatment of bladder problems. Deciding which procedure, if any, you use depends on the type and cause of incontinence. Some of the surgical options include:
  • fitting an artificial sphincter
  • pelvic floor reinforcement – sling procedure 
  • creating a urinary diversion – this involves storing the diverted urine in a reservoir created from a small piece of the intestine. The urine may be drained through an opening in the lower abdomen, through a catheter or into a collecting bag
Management products
A number of products are available that help to manage bladder problems.
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