Advanced incontinence solutions
Bladder and bowel treatment options
If you are diagnosed with incontinence by your doctor, treating it can involve following a care pathway.
The journey can be difficult and may include different treatments over time.
Below is an overview of the treatment options available to help manage urinary or bowel incontinence.
Step 1
Lifestyle changes
If underlying causes have been ruled out, the following treatments are proposed as first-line therapy1
Bladder control
- Diet and exercise: Changes may include decreasing your caffeine intake and getting more exercise.
- Bladder retraining: This involves going to the bathroom on a schedule.
- Pelvic floor strengthening: This can be accomplished through Kegel exercises, which involve repeatedly contracting and relaxing the muscles of the pelvic floor.
Bowel control
- Dietary modification: Changes may include adjusting fibre intake or eliminating troublesome foods.
- Bowel retraining: This step aims to improve bowel sensation, coordination, and strength.
Step 2
Trying medications
Oral medications may be the next step after lifestyle changes. These medications can help control symptoms but may have side effects.
Step 3
Advanced therapies
If these treatments fail or are poorly tolerated, other advanced solutions may be proposed. Talk to your doctor about your eligibility for.
Bladder control
- Bladder injections
- Percutaneous tibial neuromodulation
- Sacral neuromodulation
Bowel control
- Stoma
- Sacral neuromodulation
If you think you have incontinence or just want to know more about your symptoms, you can start by speaking with your regular doctor using your symptom quiz answers.
If you do have incontinence, you may need to speak with a bladder or bowel specialist***. These doctors are trained in diagnosing and treating incontinence with all the available therapies.
- Bladder. Continence Foundation of Australia: https://www.continence.org.au/about-continence/continence-health/bladder (accessed 21.03.2024)
- Bowel. Continence Foundation of Australia: https://www.continence.org.au/about-continence/continence-health/bowel (accessed 21.03.2024)
- Understanding incontinence. Continence Foundation of Australia: https://www.continence.org.au/about-continence/understanding-incontinence (Accessed 21.03.2024)
