Urinary problems can happen to all people at some time of their lives. Most of the time, the women tend to ignore this till it becomes very advanced. The presentation: The urinary problems may present as a delay in passing urine, it may be as recurrent urinary infection, it may present as a sudden urge to pass urine and if not voiding, it may spill ( urge incontinence) or can leak when coughing, laughing or sneezing( stress incontinence) This may occur with advancing age when the muscles controlling the sphincters are not strong enough to hold the urine. This can happen for some following operations on the uterus. Most of the women tend to hold back urine till they feel the toilet is clean and hygienic. During the menstrual cycle when the blood flow in the pelvis is more than normal, urine flow may increase. There are many factors that can be the cause for the problems. Urinary problems also can occur among those women who have had many deliveries during the child bearing age. Prolapse of the uterus ( uterus coming down) is another cause for urinary problems among women. When sugar levels are high, urinary output will increase. Infection of the terminal part of the urinary system,the urethra, may also cause urinary frequency. Other causes:
- Too much of fluids over a short period of time can cause urgency. However, too little fluid intake also will cause the urine to get concentrated when the urine gets dark and this can irritate the bladder causing urgency.
- Acidic fruits such as grapefruit, orange, lemon, intake of spicy food, tomato based products, corn syrup, carbonated drinks, caffeinated drinks, alcohol, use of artificial sweeteners, chocolate, and cranberry juice can increase urine output.
- Certain medicines can upset the bladder function. Drugs used to control blood pressure, those acting on the heart, those acting as diuretics, muscle relaxants, some sedatives, some anti depressants and some anti histaminics are known to disturb normal bladder habits.
The solution: Exercises: Improving pelvic floor muscles by doing Kegels exercises can help in a major way. Squeezing the pelvic floor muscles as if trying to stop urination can help improving the strength of the muscles. There are some people who place a weighted cone into the vagina and contracting the pelvic muscles to prevent it from falling also helps. Personal hygiene: The manner in which some women wash their private parts with a full jet of warm or hot water as a hand shower jet is to be condemned. The actual manner of using a tissue paper is to wipe from top to bottom and not from bottom to top as it may cause contamination from the anus to irritate the urinary system. Water intake: Spread out the water intake during the day and early half of the night. Normally the cold weather can trigger urination. Leading a healthy lifestyle with dietary changes and adequate exercises can go a long way in improving this condition. Cessation of smoking among those who smoke and minimizing constipation are also important.
