Do You Suffer from Urinary Stress Incontinence? 6 Natural Treatments You Can Try

Urinary incontinence is a lack of bladder control. Women are affected by two different types of urinary stress incontinence — stress incontinence and urge incontinence, also called overactive bladder. Women are twice as affected by the condition as men. Risks of the condition increase in the event of pregnancy, childbirth, and menopause.

The good news is urinary stress incontinence doesn’t have to be a normal part of aging. The even better news is that urinary stress incontinence can be treated naturally and without the use of invasive surgery or drugs. One approach is a treatment we offer at our office in Cincinnati — vaginal rejuvenation through TempSure Envi. Other treatments include pelvic floor exercises, dietary changes, and even stem cell injections.

Let’s take a look at some of the most common natural treatments for urinary stress incontinence.

Pelvic Floor Muscle Training

The bladder and urethra (the tube that carries urine from your bladder out of your body) are surrounded by the pelvic floor muscles. These muscles control the flow of urine as you pee. Urinary stress incontinence can be the result of weakened pelvic floor muscles. Strengthening these muscles can be an effective treatment of urinary stress incontinence.

Dr. Blatman can recommend a program of pelvic floor muscle training. We usually start with a minimum of 8 muscle contractions at least 3 times a day and last for at least 3 months. If the exercises prove helpful at treating urinary stress incontinence, we’ll increase the number of exercises you do every day.

Biofeedback

Biofeedback provides a way to monitor your progress with urinary stress incontinence treatments. A smalll probe is inserted into the vagina which measures when the muscles are squeezed and sends the information to a computer screen. Another approach is to attach electrodes to the skin of your tummy (abdomen) or around the anus — these sense when the muscles are squeezed and send the information to a computer screen.

The feedback can be a helpful motivator to encourage you to continue exercise. It can also help you monitor your success with urinary stress incontinence treatments.

Dietary Changes to Treat Urinary Stress Incontinence

We recommend reducing your intake of caffeine found in tea, coffee and cola. Caffeine increases your urine production, which makes it harder to control your bladder.

We recommend drinking a healthy amount of water every day — not too much or too little. Talk to your health and wellness doctor about how much water is best for you.

Weight loss can dramatically improve treatment options for urinary stress incontinence. We recommend eating a healthy dose of vegetables and protein, maintaining a weight loss program, and getting plenty of exercise.

TempSure Envi’s Vaginal Rejuvenation

One treatment for urinary stress incontinence that we offer at our Cincinnati office is TempSure Envi’s vaginal rejuvenation. We use radiofrequency to naturally heat your vaginal lining and muscles, encouraging your body’s natural production of collagen. This makes the inner walls of your vagina denser and suppler with better capabilities of controlling your bladder.

The treatment generally lasts 40 to 50 minutes. You can immediately return to work and normal life — there is no downtime. Many of our patients liken the procedure to a relaxing hot stone massage. We heat the vaginal area with a wand to naturally boost the body’s inner healing processes.

Stem Cell Injections for Treating Urinary Stress Incontinence

We can also use stem cell injections to increase the body’s natural healing capabilities and provide stronger pelvic muscle control. This is a regenerative medicine that uses stem cells — the body’s natural building blocks — to boost the healing process and increase muscle control.