Urinary incontinence affects millions of women at practically any age. But for most women, it arrives as a surprise, maybe during pregnancy or after menopause or as a symptom of other bladder conditions—or maybe for no reason at all. Once it’s been identified, there are a number of treatment options and ways to make your life easier. But can you prevent incontinence from even starting in the first place? Well, it depends.
There are some factors that are known to exacerbate UI, and addressing them and making some lifestyle changes can certainly help prevent incontinence. Of course, even if you do everything perfectly, sometimes the bladder just wants what the bladder wants. But if you think you might be at risk for UI—like if you’re planning to get pregnant, are approaching menopause, are overweight, or have a genetic predisposition—taking these things into account can’t hurt, and just might help prevent leakage in the long run.
Ways you can prevent incontinence
- Do Kegels.We talk about Kegels all the time—but hate ’em or love ’em, they really are a great way to strengthen the pelvic floor, which is what’s causing so much trouble in the first place, especially in the case of stress UI. The key to doing Kegels effectively to prevent incontinence is to do them consistently. For instance, do a set of 10 every morning and every evening every day. If you want to add in some variety, try other pelvic floor exercises too. In general, maintaining a moderate exercise regimen is good for your pelvic floor. This can include squats, ab exercises, and even running.
- Hydrate.It may seem intuitive that if you want to pee less, you’d drink less. But that’s not quite right—and anyway, it doesn’t help you prevent incontinence. Dehydration can wreak havoc on your body in a lot of ways, and importantly, it can really irritate the bladder, which makes UI more likely. Stick to the recommended six to eight glasses of water a day. But of course, drinking a ton of water all at once will have you running to the bathroom, so to help prevent incontinence while also staying hydrated, try spreading your drinking out throughout the day.
- Steer clear of caffeine, alcohol, and bubbles. It’s really not fair that some of life’s most delicious drinks are all bladder irritants. But when the bladder gets irritated, it can start sending signals to the brain that it’s full—even when it’s not. This can lead to urge incontinence. On top of that, caffeine and alcohol are also diuretics, which will have you peeing more than you want to. So if you’re serious about preventing incontinence, it might, alas, be time to put away the La Croix.
- Stop smoking. Smoking makes you cough, which puts a lot of pressure on the pelvic muscles. If you want to prevent stress incontinence, avoiding coughing is one of the best ways to do that—and quitting smoking is, in turn, one of the best ways to avoid a chronic cough.
- Maintain a healthy BMI. Being overweight is one of the biggest factors contributing to UI because having extra weight puts undue pressure on the bladder, leading to urges and leaks. But the good news is that losing weight definitely helps. One study found that after a 5 percent weight loss over a year and a half, incontinence improved in women by more than 70 percent.
- Eat Healthy. There are a lot of reasons to maintain a healthy diet, and you can add preventing incontinence to the list. For instance, constipation puts pressure on the bladder, so making sure to get plenty of fiber helps. Low vitamin D can contribute to a weakened pelvic floor—so maintaining good levels of vitamins is also a plus. Get fiber by eating lots of whole grains and hearty vegetables like broccoli, and get vitamin D from dairy, sunlight, or over-the-counter supplements.
If you’re looking to prevent incontinence before it happens—or even manage symptoms after you’ve sprung a leak—incorporating even one or two of these tips into your lifestyle can go a long way. Got other ideas about what’s worked for you? Let us know in the comments!