What to do about bladder weakness?

Every 3rd to 4th woman is affected by bladder weakness or urinary incontinence at some point in her life. The same applies to about one in 10 men. Even children can be affect...

Every 3rd to 4th woman is affected by bladder weakness or urinary incontinence at some point in her life. The same applies to about one in 10 men. Even children can be affected. Overall, it is estimated that about 10 million people in Germany suffer from urinary incontinence.

One of the main problems with bladder weakness is the taboo and the shame of those affected to seek help. Therefore, it often takes a long time before they decide to undergo treatment. However, bladder weakness can be very well treated if treatment begins early.

One of the biggest problems with bladder weakness is the taboo surrounding it

Types of bladder weakness and their symptoms

The clinical picture of bladder weakness or its symptoms can manifest in different ways. The most common are:

Stress incontinence

As the name suggests, this form of bladder weakness, formerly also called stress incontinence, involves the involuntary release of urine when the bladder or pelvic floor muscles are subjected to sudden contraction stress, for example through coughing, sneezing, or laughing.

Stress incontinence can also become noticeable during sports. Causes may include damage to the ligament support system or the bladder closure mechanism, or weakening of the pelvic floor muscles.

Urge incontinence

Here too, the term gives a clue about the type of bladder weakness. It involves a sudden urge to urinate without any warning or recognizable cause, which cannot be controlled. Often, affected individuals cannot reach the toilet in time in such situations.

Urge incontinence is often accompanied by the need to urinate unusually frequently. It can be a consequence of a neurological autoimmune disease such as multiple sclerosis (MS) or a neurodegenerative disease like Parkinson's disease.

More often, an overactive bladder or hypersensitivity of the bladder is the cause. It can be caused by bladder stones or a bladder infection. Sometimes, however, no cause for an overactive bladder can be determined.

Other forms of bladder weakness

It can happen that bladder weakness symptoms in a woman show characteristics of both stress incontinence and urge incontinence. This is called mixed incontinence, which occurs less frequently in men or younger people. Other types of bladder weakness such as reflex incontinence, overflow incontinence, or extraurethral incontinence are less common.

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Bladder weakness – causes can differ among women, men, and children

Bladder weakness very often affects women. It is often based on hormonal changes that weaken the pelvic floor and urethral closure. In addition to menopause, a higher number of pregnancies and births can also play a role.

If bladder weakness occurs in a man, it is often related to prostate surgery or enlargement. Other risks include nerve diseases, as well as stroke, diabetes, obesity, and the use of certain medications with diuretic or calming effects.

If bladder weakness occurs in children, it may be due to dysfunction of the bladder or bowel. Psychological causes or simply poor drinking habits and lack of training to respond to the urge to urinate on time are also possible.

Which doctor is the right contact for bladder weakness?

It is important to see a doctor at the first signs of bladder weakness. In about 80% of cases, incontinence can be controlled to the point where no or only minimal symptoms occur. You can initially consult your general practitioner, gynecologist, or if your child is affected, their pediatrician. If a more thorough examination is needed, they can refer you to a urologist or urogynecologist.

What helps against bladder weakness?

Treatment for bladder weakness begins with conservative therapy, meaning gentle measures where surgery is avoided. Depending on the type and cause of incontinence, these may include:

Pelvic floor training

For bladder weakness, exercises such as Kegel exercises can be performed to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles and the bladder. These can be accompanied by electrostimulation and biofeedback programs.

Bladder training

This involves a training program where specific times for using the toilet are set. These times should be adhered to even if there is no urge to urinate.

Medications

Medication treatment is determined by the doctor based on the appropriate indication. It can serve to calm an overactive bladder, relax the pelvic floor muscles, facilitate urination, or treat a possible bladder infection.

If conservative treatment does not show a satisfactory effect, there is the option of surgery, which usually involves a short hospital stay.

What can you do yourself against bladder weakness?

Doctors encourage those at risk and affected individuals to engage with bladder weakness preventively as well as alongside treatment. The focus is on the question: What can be done against bladder weakness before it occurs?

In fact, preventive pelvic floor training can be very helpful here. It is especially recommended for young mothers and if there is connective tissue weakness. You should also eat a healthy, varied, and high-fiber diet. Avoid carbonated drinks, spicy foods, caffeine, and alcohol. Any excess weight should be reduced, and a moderate exercise program should be maintained.

Nordic walking, cycling, swimming, and also yoga are recommended.

If you already suffer from bladder weakness, you can support the treatment by drinking plenty of still water, unsweetened fruit or herbal teas, and carbonated-free juice spritzers with a high water content, if your doctor agrees.

Do home remedies also help against bladder weakness?

You might now be wondering: What else helps against bladder weakness? Are there perhaps home remedies from natural medicine for bladder weakness?

Herbs such as bearberry, nettle, goldenrod, lemon balm, St. John's wort, sage, horsetail, yarrow, plantain, and wormwood are often suggested. If your doctor has no objections, you can prepare herbal teas from these, which are recommended anyway.

You should also talk to your doctor about saw palmetto capsules or tablets as well as cranberry juice.

Conclusion - what helps with bladder weakness?

Bladder weakness is very common. There is no reason not to be at least open about it with yourself and a trusted doctor. When the question arises of what to do about bladder weakness, the recommendation can only be to see a doctor early.

He will explain to you what you can do against your bladder weakness. Additionally, you can support the therapy and, in consultation with your doctor, of course also turn to natural remedies.