Incontinence - prevention tips

Incontinence means involuntary leakage of urine or faeces. About four million Australians are affected. Incontinence can occur in men or women of any age but it is more common in older people. In many cases, incontinence can be prevented. See your doctor if you have any concerns about your toilet habits.

Bladder and bowel checklist

If you have a healthy bladder and bowel, you should:

• Be urinating between four and six times per day, and once (or not at all) during the night
• Have urine that is pale yellow – dark yellow or brown urine suggests dehydration (not drinking enough)
• Produce bowel motions (poos) between three times a day and three times a week
• Have bowel motions that are soft and easy to pass
• Not have any accidental leaks.

Prevention tips

Some things are very important to prevent urinary and faecal incontinence. These include:

• Drinking plenty of fluids
• Eating a high-fibre diet
• Being physically active
• Developing good toilet habits
• Making healthy lifestyle choices.

Drinking fluids

Dehydration can cause constipation or bladder irritation. Suggestions include:

• Choose to drink water when you are thirsty.
• Drink up to two litres of fluid each day, unless advised otherwise by your doctor. You may need to drink a little more in hot weather or after heavy exercise.
• Don’t guzzle a large drink in one sitting to meet your drink quota – instead, evenly space your drinks throughout the day.
• Limit your daily intake of carbonated drinks, alcohol, tea and coffee because they can cause bladder irritation.

High-fibre diet

Dietary fibre is not digested, so it adds bulk to the stools (poo), which is important to keep things moving. A poor diet can cause chronic constipation, which can lead to faecal incontinence. Suggestions include:

• Eat plenty of wholegrain cereals, fruits and vegetables.
• Aim for 30g to 60g of fibre every day. As a rough guide, a bowl of muesli contains about 8g of fibre and an apple (with skin) has just over 3g.
• Drink up to two litres of fluid per day, because dietary fibre needs water in order to plump up the stool.

Regular physical activity

Physical activity helps prevent constipation by stimulating muscular activity of the bowel (peristalsis). Exercise also tones the pelvic floor, which is the sling of muscle directly responsible for bladder and bowel control. Suggestions include:

• Don’t choose an expensive activity – a brisk 30-minute walk every day is free and great for your general health.
• Pick something that’s fun – you are more likely to stick to a regular exercise routine if you enjoy the activity.
• Keep your pelvic floor muscles in shape – obesity, pregnancy, childbirth, regular heavy lifting and a chronic cough can weaken the pelvic floor, but you can strengthen these muscles with specific exercises.

Good toilet habits

Bad toilet habits can create bladder and bowel problems. Suggestions include:

• Go to the toilet to urinate only when your bladder is full. If you make a habit of trying to urinate ‘just in case’, you’ll teach your bladder to signal the urge to urinate when it isn’t full.
• Take your time on the toilet. Allow the urine to flow at its own speed – don’t use your pelvic floor to push out the urine.
• Go to the toilet when you feel the urge to pass a bowel motion. Hanging on can lead to constipation.
• Give yourself plenty of time to pass a bowel motion.
• Don’t strain to open your bowels. Regular straining can cause problems including haemorrhoids and weaken your pelvic floor muscles.
• Use correct posture on the toilet; it can help you pass a bowel motion. Place your elbows on your knees and put your feet on a footstool.
• Treat laxatives as a short-term solution and work on treating constipation with diet, exercise and lifestyle changes.

Healthy lifestyle choices

Healthy food choices and managing your weight are important to prevent incontinence. Suggestions include:

• Maintain a healthy weight – excess body fat strains the muscles of the pelvic floor. Lose weight slowly and sensibly with improved eating habits and regular exercise. See your doctor for more information.
• Seek medical advice – beware of self-diagnosis. Constipation is sometimes a symptom of an underlying health problem. Always see your doctor for diagnosis and treatment advice.
• Be a non-smoker – if you smoke, quit. Among the many health hazards linked to smoking, a chronic cough weakens the pelvic floor and contributes to the onset of incontinence.
• Treat urinary tract infections (UTIs) promptly – UTIs irritate the bladder lining. Seek immediate treatment if you have symptoms.

When to see your doctor

See your doctor if you have any of the following symptoms or signs:

• Accidental leakage of urine or faeces
• Not able to get to the toilet in time
• Passing small amounts of urine many times a day
• Needing to get out of bed often every night to pass urine
• Difficulty with starting to urinate
• Urination stream that keeps stopping and starting
• A burning or stinging sensation when you urinate
• The feeling that your bladder isn’t empty after urinating
• Sudden onset of bedwetting
• Chronic constipation.

This list is not exhaustive. If you have other symptoms that worry you, or if you have any concerns at all about your toilet habits, see your doctor.

Where to get help

• Your doctor
• Your local continence clinic or service
• National Continence Helpline Tel. 1800 33 00 66
• Victorian Continence Resource Centre Tel. (03) 9816 8266

Things to remember

• Incontinence means involuntary leakage of urine or faeces.
• To prevent urinary and faecal incontinence you need to drink enough liquids, eat a high-fibre diet, have regular exercise, develop healthy toilet habits and make lifestyle choices such as quitting cigarettes.
• See your doctor if you have any concerns about your toilet habits.

You might also be interested in:

• Bedwetting.
  
• Bladder.
  
• Dementia - managing incontinence.
  
• Incontinence - tips for carers.
  
• Incontinence and continence problems.
  
• Multiple sclerosis - common problems.
  
• Pelvic floor.
  
• Prostate gland and urinary problems.
  
• Prostatectomy - for cancer.
  
• Prostatectomy for benign disease.
  
• Rectal prolapse.
  

Want to know more?

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This page has been produced in consultation with and approved by:

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Victorian Continence Resource Centre

Last reviewed: August 2011

Content on this website is provided for education and information purposes only. Information about a therapy, service, product or treatment does not imply endorsement and is not intended to replace advice from your doctor or other registered health professional. Content has been prepared for Victorian residents and wider Australian audiences, and was accurate at the time of publication. Readers should note that, over time, currency and completeness of the information may change. All users are urged to always seek advice from a registered health care professional for diagnosis and answers to their medical questions.

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<a href="http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Incontinence_prevention_tips?open">Incontinence - prevention tips - Better Health Channel</a><br/>
Incontinence can be urinary (wee) or faecal (bowels or poo). Prevention tips include drinking enough liquids, eating a high-fibre diet, regular exercise, healthy toilet habits and lifestyle choices such as quitting cigarettes. Dehydration can cause constipation or bladder irritation. In most cases, incontinence can be prevented. See your doctor if you have any concerns about your toilet habits.

Content on this website is provided for education and information purposes only. Information about a therapy, service, product or treatment does not imply endorsement and is not intended to replace advice from your qualified health professional. Content has been prepared for Victorian residence and wider Australian audiences, and was accurate at the time of publication. Readers should note that over time currency and completeness of the information may change. All users are urged to always seek advice from a qualified health care professional for diagnosis and answers to their medical questions.

For the latest updates and more information, visit www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au

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