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.

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

• Choose 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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 UTIs promptly – urinary tract infections (UTIs) irritate the bladder lining. Seek immediate treatment if you have symptoms.

• 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.

• Your doctor
• Your local continence clinic or service
• National Continence Hotline Tel. 1800 33 00 66
• Continence Foundation of Australia Tel. (03) 9347 2522
• Victorian Continence Resource Centre Tel. (03) 9816 8266

• 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.

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