Embarrassing Bladder Problems Solved

As many as one in three of us suffers from bladder trouble. Here, the best remedies for lasting relief.

The days of being shy about PMS and pregnancy pain are way over. But that bladder accident or the fact that your insides feel like they’re falling out of your vagina? Now, that’s embarrassing. And that’s why millions of women may be suffering in silence. A recent study found that up to one in three women under age 54 has an overactive bladder, dropped pelvic organs, or another pelvic-floor disorder. Vaginal childbirths are often cited as a big risk factor, and being overweight ups the odds. The good news: These disorders are easy to treat, says Karl Luber, MD, a urogynecologist at Kaiser Permanente San Diego Medical Center. Here, three clues that you may have a pelvic-floor disorder and how to find relief.

You can’t stop going
Problem: Overactive bladder. You have such a strong urge that it’s overwhelming (even when your bladder is half-full) and leakage is often the byproduct.

Solutions: Kegels, the squeeze-and-hold exercise specifically designed to target the pelvic floor postpregnancy, can help strengthen the area around the bladder and reduce the urge to go. Combining Kegels with behavior modification (scheduling your bathroom trips, resisting the urge to urinate between trips, and gradually expanding the intervals between trips) can be especially effective. Prescription meds like Detrol and Ditropan can help, too.

The newest treatment: Botox injected into the bladder muscle. Though the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) hasn’t approved it yet, lots of docs are already using it successfully. “Botox works the same way on the bladder as it does for wrinkles—it paralyzes the bladder so it doesn’t contract at inappropriate times,” says Tiffany Sotelo, MD, director of the Pelvic Floor Center at George Washington University Hospital. Ask your doctor for more info. The treatment may need to be repeated and may not be covered by insurance.

Next page: You cough and a little urine leaks out