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Few women afflicted with this problem feel like discussing it, as it is quite embarrassing. As many as one third of all women may experience stress urinary incontinence, which often happens after a pregnancy. Women who experience stress urinary incontinence leak small quantities of urine during laughing, sneezing or coughing, due to elevated intra-abdominal pressure. It can occur in public, or anytime, anywhere. As leakage of urine is made worse by exertion, public exercise can be a chore. Exercises that target abdominal muscles can place pressure on the pelvic floor, which can be difficult for those wanting to get in shape. The good news is that stress urinary incontinence can be made more manageable through a variety of techniques and methods.

How Is It Caused Initially?

There is usually weakness in the muscles that form the pelvic floor in females with stress urinary incontinence. The urethra, or the tube that the urine passes through, falls downward when these muscles become weak, and urine leaks out. There are two causes of a weakened pelvic floor for women that result in urinary incontinence — childbirth and obesity. Women who have borne children have a much greater chance of developing stress urinary incontinence than those who have not had children. The likelihood of developing this problem increases in direct proportion to the number of babies a woman has had. Too much pressure can be put on the pelvic floor and weaken it through being obese.

What Does the Diagnosis Involve?

There are symptoms that are characteristic in females with stress urinary incontinence that make the diagnosis easy. A stress test of the bladder might be done by the doctor, if there is a questionable diagnosis. Fluid is injected into the bladder to do this. The urine leakage is checked for when the female is requested to cough. A UTI should also be ruled out by a urinalysis, since that condition could be contributing to the symptoms. There should be a pelvic exam to check for enlargement of the ovaries or uterus that could be resulting in more pressure upon the pelvic floor.

Simple Lifestyle Modifications

A huge impact upon the symptoms of stress urinary incontinence can be caused by making simple changes in your lifestyle. Losing weight can be helpful in the cases where obesity contributes to the problem. The frequency of leakage was reduced by 28 percent, when females reduced their weight by three pounds. When additional weight was taken off, even more incredible results were observed. The complete elimination of caffeine will also improve some females’ symptoms. In order to empty their bladders as completely as possible, females can train themselves to urinate every hour. Since constipation aggravates stress incontinence problems, a diet high in fiber is important.

Other Treatments

Performing exercises that will strengthen the pelvic floor muscles will also help with symptoms of stress urinary incontinence. Performing Kegel exercises is the way this is achieved. For women, this involves contracting vaginal wall muscles and holding for a count of at least ten, many times throughout the day. By doing some research on the Internet, one can find directions on how to do these activities. It normally takes four to six months to show results with this method. Stress incontinence is sucsesfully treated with prescription medications like Flotrol Natural Bladder Control Pills.