Bladder training is used to treat urge incontinence and stress incontinence. Urge incontinence means that the need to urinate comes on so fast that you can't get to a toilet in time. Stress incontinence means that you leak urine because of pressure on your bladder. For example, it may happen when you laugh, cough, or lift something heavy.
Bladder training can increase how long you can wait before you have to urinate. It can also help your bladder hold more urine. And it can give you better control over the urge to urinate.
It is important to remember that bladder training takes a few weeks to a few months to make a difference. You may not see results right away, but don't give up.
Behavioral methods may be used to treat:
Watch closely for changes in your health, and be sure to contact your doctor if:
Several types of behavioral methods are used for treating urinary incontinence: bladder training, pelvic muscle exercises (Kegels), and biofeedback. People who have incontinence due to physical or mental limitations (functional incontinence) also have options. They can plan to use the toilet before they feel like they need to go. Or they can schedule regular times to use the toilet.
Bladder training helps to increase how long you can wait before having to urinate. You can start by keeping a voiding diary for 24 hours. This will help you track the shortest time you have before you need to urinate again.
Using your shortest time, make a schedule to go to the toilet at this interval all day long. Go to the toilet at these times whether or not you feel the need. Once you can avoid leaking for a full day, increase your scheduled time by 15 minutes. Do this until you are able to be comfortable urinating every three to four hours.
Biofeedback can be helpful if you are having difficulty doing pelvic floor exercises. During biofeedback, you'll get information on how well you are contracting your pelvic floor muscles.
Learning biofeedback requires practice in a lab or other setting with the guidance of a trained therapist. Home biofeedback units also are available.
Pelvic floor (Kegel) exercises can help strengthen some of the muscles that control the flow of urine. These exercises are used to treat urge or stress incontinence. To do Kegel exercises:
If you are having trouble finding out what muscles to squeeze, you can try stopping the flow of urine a few times. But don't make it a practice to do Kegels while urinating.
If doing these exercises causes pain, stop doing them and talk with your doctor. Sometimes people have pelvic floor muscles that are too tight. In these cases, doing Kegel exercises may cause more problems.
If you aren't sure how to do these exercises, talk to your doctor about getting a referral to a pelvic floor physical therapist.
Kegel exercises are often combined with biofeedback techniques to teach the proper exercise methods and to make sure the exercise is working.
Bladder training can be helpful for people with urge incontinence, stress incontinence, and mixed incontinence. Many people who use bladder training have fewer symptoms of incontinence. For some people, the incontinence completely stops.
Pelvic floor exercises, or Kegels, can be helpful for people with urge incontinence, stress incontinence, and mixed incontinence. They are often the first type of treatment suggested since these exercises can be done at home and don't cause side effects.
Biofeedback can help people having difficulty with doing pelvic floor exercises. Pelvic floor exercises can be effective for people without biofeedback. But many people find that it helps to work with a pelvic floor physical therapist and use biofeedback.
Work with your doctor to come up with a bladder training program that is right for you. You may use one or more of the following methods.
These tighten and strengthen pelvic muscles, which can help you control the flow of urine. (If doing these exercises causes pain, stop doing them and talk with your doctor.) To do Kegel exercises:
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