excessive urination

Take 3....

• Doing Kegel exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles. It is one of the best ways to improve stress incontinence.
• Using a removable device called a pessary (which is placed inside the vagina). It can help reduce stress incontinence by putting pressure on the urethra.
• Taking medicines, but they may have bothersome side effects.
• Having surgery to support the bladder or move it back to a normal position, if other treatment doesn't help.

If you have more than one kind of bladder control problem, first your doctor will treat the one that bothers you the most. Then he or she will treat the other cause, if needed.

Your doctor may suggest things you can do at home, such as going to the bathroom at set times and completely emptying your bladder when you urinate.  It may also help to cut back on caffeine drinks, such as coffee, tea, or sodas.  Also, avoid excessive alcohol consumption, quit smoking and lose weight.  Aside from overall health improvement, there may be reduced pressure on the bladder from being overweight and less coughing that may trigger leakage.

Hi Ellen,

Sorry I accidentally clicked on 'Post' before I finished....

Treatments for stress incontinence includes:

• Doing

Hi Ellen,

There are several types of urinary incontinence.  And the type you have is described as overflow incontinence when you are not able to empty your bladder when you urinate. As a result, you have a constant or frequent dribble of urine. This is the type of urinary incontinence that most often strikes men.  Causes of this type of urinary incontinence include:

• Weak bladder muscles
• Blockage of the urethra
• Medical conditions such as tumors  

With stress incontinence, urine may leak because of the extra pressure on the bladder when you cough, sneeze, laugh, exercise, or do other activities.  

If you have symptoms of incontinence, your health professional will ask about your medical history and do a physical exam. Your doctor will ask about what and how much you drink. He or she will also ask how often and how much you urinate and leak. It may help to keep track of these things for 3 or 4 days before you see your doctor.

Your doctor will examine you and may do some simple tests to look for the cause of your bladder control problem. If your doctor thinks it may be caused by more than one problem, you will likely have more tests.

Most bladder control problems can be improved or cured.   Treatment for stress incontinence includes:

• Doing

I didn't code the links correctly in my earlier post.  The first link is titled Kegel Excercise Tips, and the second is For More Information. Click here to view the whole page, titled "What I need to know about Bladder Control for Women."

It sounds like you may have stress incontinence. According to the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NKUDIC), this type of incontinence is caused by weak bladder muscles, not mental stress. Stress on the bladder causes it to leak. This link has tips on finding the right muscles and exercises you can try to correct the problem. If that doesn't work for you, This section of the site has a list of organizations you can contact to find a urologist who can help you find the right muscles, send you to a physical therapist who can help, or find out if you have a different problem.