Urinary incontinence: how to prevent and reverse it

What is urinary incontinence?

Urinary incontinence is defined as “the involuntary loss of urine during the day or night”. It is an uncomfortable situation that sometimes causes embarrassment, interrupts night rest, interferes with social and work life, and requires extreme hygiene. It affects women more, but men also suffer from it. Why happens? What causes promote it?

Types of urinary incontinence

There are three types of urinary incontinence:

stress urinary incontinence. Leakage of urine occurs when laughing, coughing, jumping, sneezing, or exercising. It represents 25% of the cases.Urge urinary incontinence. Urination is urgent and compelling and there is an involuntary loss of urine before reaching the bathroom. 20% of those affected suffer from it.Mixed urinary incontinence. It is the most frequent type and associates symptoms of the two previous ones.

What causes incontinence

The age of onset of urinary incontinence is between 30 and 50 years, with a prevalence of four women for every man.

Urinary incontinence increases with age, the number of pregnancies, the type of deliveries, and with menopause. Stress incontinence is more common in men as a result of prostate hyperplasia or as a sequel after a surgical intervention.

1. Weakening of the muscles

The direct cause of incontinence is the weakening of tissues involved in holding and releasing urine: bladder, sphincters, urethra and pelvic floor.

The abdominal musculature together with the pelvic floor is responsible for cushioning and channeling the pressures derived from the continuous gestures and efforts that we make in daily life. Sometimes there is a inappropriate and repetitive pressure risewhich in the long run weakens this damping system.

This can lead to losing a certain amount of urine when coughing, sneezing, lifting a weight, running, etc.. The organic causes of this disorder are:

structural damage of the tissue that supports the internal organs: fascias, ligaments and connective tissue. Hypermobility and prolapse of the pelvic organs is generated.Motor control failure. Sometimes the structure is fine but, when faced with an effort, the musculature does not respond adequately due to loss of reflex contraction, lack of proprioception, instability of the area (common when there are impingement or herniated discs) or lack of synchronization between the muscles on the ground pelvic and abdomen.Inadequate strength and tone. When there is a decrease in muscle tone due to laxity, tissue retraction (scars, episiotomy…), etc. an ineffective muscle reaction is also generated.Chronic abdominal hyperpressure. Some conditions such as obesity, multiple pregnancies, chronic cough or constipation can lead to urinary incontinence.

2. Holding urine for a long time favors incontinence

Another common cause that can lead to incontinence is due to “overflow”, that is, the bladder fills up and in the face of so much internal pressure the sphincter does not resist and the urine ends up coming out: hold urination regularly weakens sphincter retention capacity, as well as the support of the pelvic floor. Like all muscles in the body, when they are “exhausted” they become ineffective.

Many women, even youngcome to develop this problem after prolonged periods of time in which, due to work-related reasons, they cannot go to urinate more than after many hours: shop assistants, assembly line workers, receptionists, etc.

3. How hormonal changes influence

It has been proven that urinary incontinence can be related to the hormonal changes in estrogen and testosterone that come with menopause.

It seems that an insufficient level of estrogens can favor the urethral atrophywhile decreased testosterone levels favor a weakening of the pelvic floor. An article published in the magazine Ostomy Wound Management in 1998 he related hypoestrogenism in menopausal women with urogenital aging; however, she concludes that estrogen therapy has a limited effect in the treatment of incontinence problems resulting from urogenital prolapse.

Another study, published in the journal climacteric in 2009 confirms the sensitivity of the lower urinary tract to the effects of estrogens, as well as the frequent appearance of stress and urge urinary incontinence after menopause. But, like various studies published on this issue, it concludes that it is not appropriate to treat urinary incontinence with hormone replacement therapy.

In women, the conversion of testosterone to estradiol – a type of estrogen – is catalyzed by the aromatase enzyme. Modulating the function of this enzyme can help to have the necessary testosterone levels to maintain the strength of the pelvic floor.

Natural treatment of incontinence

Urinary incontinence can be approached from different perspectives and it is advisable to find the right professional.

At the same time, some habits and nutritional supplements They can be helpful in preventing and reversing urinary incontinence.

1. Habits that help

It is important getting used to frequent urination and not wait to feel the urge to empty your bladder.If you suffer from nighttime incontinence, do not drink or eat foods with a high water content for about three hours before going to sleep. This way you will avoid night awakenings that interrupt sleep and that in the medium term lead to problems of irritability, nervousness, headaches, memory loss, weakness, low defenses, etc.Avoid caffeine and cola, because they stimulate diuresis. Alcohol is also not advisable, since it distorts the need to urinate. Avoid constipation which, in addition to exerting abdominal pressure, implies an increase in the elimination of liquids via the urine due to greater intestinal absorption of water.Wear appropriate clothing: Avoid very tight or little protective clothing for the abdominal and lumbar area.

2. Moderate exercise and exercises for the pelvic floor

For urinary incontinence it is advisable to do moderate exercise, but it is important to take into account some aspects during the exercise to avoid harming the pelvic floor, such as not making big jumps or abdominal efforts.

It is also important to perform adequate exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor during pregnancy and after childbirth, in a preventive way, or to perform them to recover the tone of the pelvic floor when its weakening is the cause of urinary incontinence.

3. Foods and supplements that can help

Some supplements can help you strengthen the muscles, control the nervous reflex and modulate hormones:

Magnesium and vitamin B6. Magnesium contributes to the proper functioning of the nervous system, muscles and nerves, while vitamin B6 maintains normal neurological function. Incorporate into your diet foods rich in these two nutrients: green leafy vegetables, tomatoes, nuts, oats, legumes, etc. Taking a daily supplement containing 300 mg magnesium and 3 mg B6 may help when the source of incontinence is nervous type.Pumpkin seeds. They contain lignans, a substance that improves enzymatic activity in women and the health of the urinary system thanks to its phytoestrogenic activity. Pumpkin seed extract modulates the aromatase enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of testosterone to estradiol and helps maintain hormonal levels that ensure pelvic floor strength.Collagen and organic silicon. They provide resistance and strength to connective tissue, muscles and tendons, basic supporting structures of internal organs. Collagen production can be stimulated with the diet and taken in supplements that provide both nutrients or separately. Dose: 10 mg daily of collagen and 30 mg of silicon.