In many cases, urinary incontinence is minimal and infrequent. In these cases, wearing a panty liner or sanitary pad is often enough to avoid an embarrassing situation while out in public; however, more severe cases may not offer enough absorption to conquer the problem completely. Severe or frequent urinary incontinence can be so bothersome or embarrassing that it can interfere with normal daily activities. Fortunately, there are several simple steps you can take to improve bladder control and avoid awkward or uncomfortable situations.

The first step in controlling your bladder is to fully understand the situation. In order to get a good grasp on your particular urinary incontinence issue, keep a record of when you urinate and when you experience leakage. If a pattern emerges, this will help you schedule preemptive trips to the bathroom before leakage occurs. Once you have an established pattern and scheduled bathroom trips, you can then train your bladder by stretching out the period between bathroom breaks a little at a time.

Each pound that you gain will increase the pressure on your bladder and; therefore, will increase the instances of urinary incontinence you experience. In order to avoid this as much as possible, pay attention to your weight gain during pregnancy to ensure that it is within healthy limits. You may also want to avoid foods and beverages that can worsen urinary incontinency in pregnancy, such as sodas, alcohol, coffee and citrus.

One of the most effective things you can do to prevent or treat urinary incontinence in pregnancy is to perform Kegel exercises, which strengthen the muscles of the pelvic floor. While it is great if you can incorporate a Kegels routine into your pregnancy preparation period, these simple exercises are also very effective if started after you are pregnant or after urinary incontinence begins.

Your Kegel muscles are the muscles you use to stop the flow of urine; therefore, if you are not sure where they are, you can find them by stopping your urine flow midstream the next time you use the restroom. Once you have found your Kegel muscles and become familiar with how it feels to tighten them, perform Kegel exercises throughout the day by tightening the muscles and holding them tight for a count of 10, releasing, and then repeating the process. You can perform Kegels at specific times during the day, or simply perform them while driving, watching television or chatting on the phone.

It is also common for urinary incontinence to continue after childbirth, particularly if the muscles or nerves of the pelvic floor have been damaged. Normally, post-childbirth urinary incontinence will subside within a few months; however, if the issue persists you should consult your physician to ensure that there is not an underlying medical concern in need of attention.

A common design is a washable undergarment, with a waterproof crotch, These hold a washable liner in place to catch any urine which is inadvertently emitted. Another style looks just like a normal pair of underwear, but is highly absorbent. These don’t need any extra pads to be inserted as they are designed to wick any moisture away from the skin. These come in a range of thickness depending on how much urine needs to be captured with a typical episode of incontinence.

Another design of is very similar to a washable cloth diaper that has a plastic cover. Similarly, plastic incontinence pants can be worn over other underwear with an absorbent pad to help prevent leakage.

Most women find that an absorbent underwear insert or a pull up diaper style of incontinence pant is the most effective. However for men there are a couple of other options. If a smaller amount of urine is leaking, a drip collector is sometimes helpful. This is a pocket with an absorbent pad that is worn over the penis. There is also a catheter style device that has a tube leading to a collection bag. This may be useful if it is necessary to collect larger amounts of urine.

Incontinence pants or pads are the most effective way to contain leakage, but if more security is desired additional pads can be bought to protect bedding, upholstered chairs, or any area where someone suffering from incontinence might be located for a longer period of time.

If you have an urge to go before you reach your target time, try a relaxation technique such as breathing slowly and calmly. For some, Kegel exercises might also help to control urges.

Kegel exercises can be done as part of your bladder training regime. You can also do these exercises on their own to help strengthen your bladder muscles. It can take some months for these exercises to work, so persist with them.

Kegel Exercises

While urinating, try to control the flow of urine without using your leg, bottom, or stomach muscles. You should be able to stop the flow without using these muscles.

Once you have found the muscles in your groin  that control the flow, squeeze them tight while not urinating. Hold for 10 seconds, and then relax for 10 seconds. Repeat up to 20 times per session and try to do 3 sessions of the exercise every day.

If you can’t clench for this long at first, start with whatever amount of time you can clench for, and work up to 10 seconds.

A controlled study found that women who were mentally and physically able to use this method achieved real benefits with all types of incontinence.