Introduction
Urinary incontinence and bladder health are two related health issues that have become of major concern in recent times. They are directly related in the sense that problems in bladder health will in most cases culminate in urinary incontinence. These problems have been found to occur more commonly in women than men usually attributed to such things as pregnancy and menopause. Urinary incontinence in women basically can be seen as the loss of urine without necessarily having the urge to urinate.
To help reduce these cases in women especially if they occur due to problems in bladder health, you can use a bladder health supplement. This article highlights this issue of urinary incontinence in women and how well you can ensure that your bladder is healthy.
Causes of Urinary Incontinence in Women
Several things come in as causes of urinary incontinence. It should be clear that occurrence of urinary incontinence does not necessarily mean that it is a disease but is a symptom. Causes can be classified as follows:
- Temporary causes
Temporary causes usually causes a short-term urinary incontinence usually because they contain or are themselves diuretics. Some of them are the common foods we eat and some are the medication we take. Diuretics act on the bladder and the rest of your urinary system to increase the volume of urine produced. The stimulated bladder and increased urine volume leads to urinary incontinence that usually goes away if the substance is eliminated from the body.
Related article: The Use Of Diuretics In Bodybuilding
These causes may include:
- Alcohol and carbonated drinks such as coca cola
- Artificial sweeteners and chocolates
- Medications used in treatment of heart problems and hypertension
- Vitamin C when taken in large doses
Medical conditions and Disease processes
Some medical conditions and disease processes also cause urinary incontinence. These are particularly conditions and diseases that affect bladder health and have influence on its physiology. In most cases, they are treatable and therefore can be categorized as temporary causes of urinary incontinence. Common conditions and diseases process that are implicated in urinary incontinence include:
- Infections of the urinary tract(UTIs)
- Constipation
Persistent causes
Persistent causes are the underlying physiological and pathological conditions that constantly affect the bladder leading to incontinence. These include:
- Pregnancy with pregnancy comes changes in hormones, which may have a direct or indirect effect on the bladder. The fetus also exerts some pressure on the bladder leading to incontinence.
- Age as you get older, tissues in your body also get older including those of the bladder. Therefore, the bladder has little capacity to manage urine as you get older and for the first time, you may start experiencing urinary incontinence.
- Vaginal delivery women who bear many children would most likely have urinary incontinence. This is because with every birth, there is weakening of those muscles, which help the bladder have control over urine. This means that you are more likely to have urinary incontinence.
- Menopause menopause just like pregnancy comes with changes in hormones. The hormone estrogen, which has a role in maintaining the health of the mucosa lining the bladder and urethra is, reduced which may trigger urinary incontinence. This is one explanation as to why urinary incontinence in women over 40 is of major concern and should be highlighted well.
- Hysterectomy hysterectomy refers to the surgical removal of the uterus mostly due to malignant issues. It is a major cause of urinary incontinence because it is usually in close contact with the bladder and are supported by pretty much the same muscle. If such muscles are destroyed during the process, then it will definitely lead to urinary incontinence.
- Disorders in the nervous system smooth muscles of the bladder are under nervous control and any neurological condition involving nervous supply to the bladder will lead to urinary incontinence.
Must read: 5 Supplements to avoid during pregnancy
Different types of urinary incontinence
Stress Incontinence
Stress incontinence occurs when any situation that puts pressure on the bladder causes leakage of urine. Most such situations such as sneezing will not cause urine to leak hence a reason to be speculate stress incontinence. This type of stress incontinence is prevalent in women since their bladder is more likely to be under stress from physiological conditions such as pregnancy and vaginal delivery. Stress incontinence in many cases is treatable either by bladder supplements or other medical interventions.
Urge incontinence
It occur when urine leaks immediately after feeling the urge to urinate without your control. Urge incontinence in most cases is a neurological problem with the bladder having inappropriate spasms. People with urge incontinence often empty their bladder even after drinking a small amount of fluid and may wake up having emptied on their beds. Being a neurological problem, emotions such as anxiety can worsen the situation and even drugs such as diuretics. People with diseases such as Alzheimer’s and diabetes are likely to experience this type of incontinence.
Overactive bladder
Just like urge incontinence, incontinence due to overactive bladder has its route in neurological problems. The difference is in the time. In this type of incontinence, there are nerve signals at a time when you are not expecting to urinate. It is also common among women and may present with:
- High frequency of urination
- Nocturia, where one wakes up at night to urinate
- Urgency of urination is high
Functional incontinence
Functional incontinence may not of great medical importance but occurs sometimes. It is particularly prominent in people who are unable to plan correctly about when to urinate and therefore end up leaking urine uncontrollably. They are mostly people with certain disabilities and medical conditions that affect their judgment.
Overflow incontinence
Overflow is a type of incontinence that is as a result of weak bladder smooth muscles. The bladder generally fails to properly empty leading to occurrence of a spill over.
Treatment of Urinary Incontinence
Urinary incontinence can be an embarrassing condition to have and therefore the need to treat it as early as possible. Treatment of urinary incontinence lays a major focus on the bladder and there are many ways that can be used. Your doctor after determining the type of incontinence you have may will suggest several methods for your treatment.
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Different treatment approaches for urinary incontinence include:
- Behavioral and training means
Timed voiding and Kegel exercise are two popular means that are commonly used for the treatment of urinary incontinence. Timed voiding involves using the bathroom at certain specific times while kegel exercise is meant to strengthen the muscles responsible for holding your urine.
- Medications
Certain medications are particularly important when it comes certain types of incontinence. For instance, when it comes to an overactive bladder, anticholinergic drugs can effectively reduce the spasms and help reduce this type of incontinence. The only problem is that they come along with certain types of side effects for example, a dry mouth and even blurred vision when used in large doses.
- Neuromodulation therapy
Neuromodulation therapy is another way of treatment of urinary incontinence particularly urge incontinence. InterStim is a device used in this therapy and mainly involves stimulating nerves that goes to the bladder from the spinal cord. Neuromodulation is only meant for certain people and is not suitable for everyone.
Bladder health and incontinence
A healthy bladder ensures that you avoid problems that comes along with urinary incontinence. There are several ways to avoid having an incontinence as well as getting back your normal bladder function. Using bladder control supplements is one such ways among others. We focus on some of these bladder health supplements and how they contribute to helping you avoid urinary incontinence.
Top 5 bladder health supplements for use
Most of the common bladder supplements are herbs. They include:
1 Vitamin D
Vitamin D has been approved as one of the major bladder supplements that you can use.
Features
- Has effects on muscles of the pelvic floor
- Also has effects on bones
Pros
- Works well both in men and women
- Bladder is made strong
Cons
- May have some side effects on bone health
Why you should buy vitamin D supplement
The good thing about buying vitamin D supplement is that it offers double benefits, helping you not only for a healthy bladder but also bones.
2 D-Mannose
D-Mannose is a carbohydrate just like glucose. It has some beneficial roles as a bladder health supplement.
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Features
- It is a carbohydrate
- Its effect are on normal flora of tracts such as the Genital Urinary Tract (GUT).
Pros
- Efficiently improves genital urinary tract health
- Maintains the normal beneficial flora of the GUT
Cons
- Probable side effects
Why you should buy this supplement
D-mannose occurs naturally and is also abundant even in some cells of the body. It role in supporting the bladder are prominent and it can go a long way into preventing occurrence of urinary incontinence.
3 Probiotics
Probiotics are simply types of bacteria that are beneficial and are found in the lumen of the GIT or GUT. A good example is lactobacillus bacteria, which has good effect on the GUT ensuring that your bladder and other related organs are healthy.
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Features
- Are bacteria that are part of normal flora of the body
- Come in many different strains
Pros
- Good for balancing normal flora
- Great for supporting the bladder and the rest of the urinary system
- Is beneficial to the digestive tract
- Also good for the immune system
Cons
- Some bacteria may be harmful causing diseases
Why you should buy Probiotics
Buying probiotics ensures that you not only improve the health of your bladder but also improves your immune system ensuring that you are not exposed to infections of the bladder that can lead to incontinence.
4 Go-Less Bladder Control Formula
This is a good bladder control supplement that you can use to help you have a good control of your urinary incontinence.
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Features
- Contains phytoestrogen which is the main active substance
- Fatty acids and sterols are also present as ingredients
Pros
- Suitable for both men and women
- Helps you have a good control of bladder function
Cons
- Side effects may occur due to activity of phytoestrogen
Why you should buy this supplement
Being suitable for both men and women, go-Less bladder formula will help you control your bladder, which has been controlling you. It is a worthy supplement to give a try if you have a troubling urinary incontinence.
5 Cranberry
Cranberry works using an antioxidant activity found in some of its components. The supplement are made from cranberries, which have been tried and are in powder form.
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Features
- Some contains vitamin C and sometimes probiotics
- Has antioxidant activity
Pros
- Beneficial to your urinary health especially the bladder
- Improves the functioning of the kidney
- Antioxidant activity help reduce free radicals
Cons
- Some contain bacteria that may lead to an active infection
Why you should buy cranberry supplement
It is very evident that cranberry have many benefits in the body and goes a long way into ensuring that your bladder health is very strong.
How to maintain healthy bladder
Apart from using bladder health supplements which may be so costly since some of them are bought, there are several other things that you can do to ensure that your bladder remains health and that you do not have recurring problems. Some of this tips include:
- Limiting the use of alcohol and other such drinks such as caffeine
- Drinking sufficient amounts of water
- Reducing or even completely quitting smoking
- Doing regular exercise and losing weight to reduce stress on the bladder.
- Avoiding tight pants and nylon ones to reduce incidences of urinary tract infections.
Conclusion
Urinary incontinence is an embarrassing condition that has been troubling people especially women over 40 years who are reaching or have reached menopause. It is therefore good that you have clear understanding of this condition so that you can seek the required help as early as possible. The good thing is most cases of urinary incontinence are manageable and you can lead a normal life again. Many bladder health supplements are there to help you as well other treatment options.