Tag Archives: urine

bladder control during pregnancy

Bladder Control During Pregnancy

- Blog, Women's Health

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Aside from a growing belly, you may notice other changes in your body now that you are pregnant. One thing you may notice is the loss of urine when you are not trying to urinate. Loss of bladder control, also called incontinence, is common during pregnancy and after childbirth. Needing to run to the bathroom often or leaking urine can make you feel embarrassed. Do not feel shy about asking for physical therapy for incontinence. They can help you understand and manage bladder control, and make sure there are not other conditions causing your incontinence. Here is some information to help you learn more.

HOW DOES THE BLADDER WORK?
Urine is stored in your bladder, which is an organ located in the pelvis. The muscles of the pelvis help keep your bladder in place. When you urinate, urine travels from your bladder and out of your body through a tube called the urethra. Ring-like muscles (sphincter muscles) keep the urethra closed so urine does not pass until you are ready to urinate. Muscles at the end of the urethra (sphincter muscles) and in the pelvic floor also help to hold back urine.

HOW CAN BEING PREGNANT CAUSE BLADDER CONTROL PROBLEMS?
The weight of a baby in your belly and the act of giving birth will put pressure on your bladder and may cause your pelvic muscles to stretch and weaken. This causes your bladder to sag, and your urethra to stretch. Nerves can also be damaged. It is this damage to muscles and nerves that can cause bladder control problems to persist.

pregnant woman

HOW CAN I CONTROL MY BLADDER?
The good news is that incontinence may go away once your pelvic muscles heal, usually 6 weeks or so after giving birth. But you can take steps after childbirth to minimize bladder control problems by doing exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles. Kegel exercises are one type of pelvic floor muscle exercise.

Kegel exercises do not require equipment and can be done anywhere—while sitting at your desk, standing in line at the bank, or even lying down in bed. They are done by squeezing your sphincter muscles in the same way you would when stopping urine flow. After 6-8 weeks of doing the exercises, you may find that you have fewer leaks.

Talk to your doctor to learn more about how to correctly do Kegel exercises. Following pregnancy, if Kegel exercises do not control the incontinence, your doctor may discuss other treatments or refer you to a specialist who can help.

Here are some general steps for doing Kegel exercises from the American Pregnancy Association:

• Squeeze your pelvic floor muscles as if you were trying to stop the flow of urine. Do not squeeze the muscles in your belly, legs, or buttocks.
• Hold for 5-10 seconds, then relax.
• Repeat 10-20 times.
• Try to do at least 3 sets per day.

If incontinence is still bothersome, talk to your doctor about other options, such as wearing absorbent pads or briefs. With support from your healthcare team, you will be able to manage incontinence, as well as other bodily changes that come with pregnancy.

by Marjorie Montemayor-Quellenberg, MA

RESOURCES:
American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
http://www.acog.org

Office on Women’s Health
http://www.womenshealth.gov

CANADIAN RESOURCES:
Health Canada
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca

Women’s Health Matters
http://www.womenshealthmatters.ca

REFERENCES:
Kegel exercises. American Pregnancy Association website. Available at: http://americanpregnancy.org/labor-and-birth/kegel-exercises. Updated Aug. 2015. Accessed Feb. 10, 2016.

Treatments of common complaints in pregnant women. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: http://www.ebscohost.com/dynamed. Updated February 1, 2016. Accessed February 10, 2016.

Urinary incontinence fact sheet. Office on Women’s Health website. Available at: http://www.womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/urinary-incontinence.html. Updated July 16, 2012. Accessed February 10, 2016.

Urinary incontinence in women. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: http://www.ebscohost.com/dynamed. Updated December 9, 2015. Accessed February 10, 2016.

What I need to know about bladder control for women. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases website. Available at: http://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-topics/urologic-disease/urinary-incontinence-women/Pages/ez.aspx. Updated June 2012. Accessed February 10, 2016.

3/5/2013 DynaMed’s Systematic Literature Surveillance: http://www.ebscohost.com/dynamed: Boyle R, Hay-Smith EJ, Cody JD, et al. Pelvic floor muscle training for prevention and treatment of urinary and faecal incontinence in antenatal and postnatal women. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012;10:CD007471.

Last reviewed February 2016 by Michael Woods, MD Last Updated: 2/10/2016

EBSCO Information Services is fully accredited by URAC. URAC is an independent, nonprofit health care accrediting organization dedicated to promoting health care quality through accreditation, certification and commendation.

dehydration

Hydration: What, When and How Much

- Blog, General Information, Sports and Fitness

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FLUID INTAKE IS ESSENTIAL TO GOOD HEALTH.

Water is needed to regulate your temperature, maintain joint health and to deliver essential vitamins and minerals. Dehydration leads to impaired nerve and muscle function due to the imbalance of sodium and potassium within the body. Brain and muscle function become impaired causing decreased muscle coordination and impaired athletic performance.

Early signs and symptoms of dehydration include headaches, dry mouth, chills, dry skin, excessive thirst, and fatigue. The color of ones urine is a good indicator of proper hydration. Improper hydration will cause your urine to become a dark yellow. Signs of worsening dehydration are increased body temperature, heart rate and body temperature. If you become confused, have vision disturbances and difficulty breathing seek immediate medical attention.

Your risk of dehydration increases when you sweat excessively, increase your exercise intensity and duration, when the temperature is high and at high altitudes.

The American Council on Fitness suggests these guidelines for moderate to high intensity exercise:
• Drink 17-20 ounces of water two to three hours before the start of exercise.
• Drink 8 ounces of fluid 20 to 30 minutes prior to exercise or during warm-up.
• Drink 7-10 ounces of fluid every 10 to 20 minutes during exercise.
• Drink an additional 8 ounces of fluid within 30 minutes after exercising.
• Drink 16-24 ounces of fluid for every pound of body weight lost after exercise.

WOW THAT IS A LOT!

But it shows us how much fluid we can lose during higher levels of exercise and why it is so important to stay hydrated. It is very important to drink water before, during and after practices and games especially in the warmer months.

Many sports teams will weigh the athletes before and after practice to determine the amount of fluid lost. The recommended weight loss limit due to fluid loss is 2% of your own body weight per day. It is recommended that you drink 16-24 ounces of water for every pound lost.

water bottle

ARE SPORTS DRINKS BETTER THAN WATER?

Definitely in taste but nothing hydrates the body better than water. Sports drinks do provide more potassium, minerals and other electrolytes which will help you sustain your performance during exercise and may help you recover quicker especially in workouts over one hour in duration. The biggest problem with sports drinks is the sugar content. Many of them have multiple servings per bottle. Glucose is essential but you do not need as much as you will find in most sports drinks. I recommend a combination of water and a low sugar sports drink. Research also indicates that chocolate milk may help the athlete recover more quickly when consumed after exercise due to its carbohydrate and protein content.

You should consult your pediatrician or family physician if you feel that you or your child has problems with dehydration.

This information was written by Evergreen Physical Therapy, an outpatient physical therapy group located in Saginaw Valley, Michigan. At Evergreen Physical Therapy, their physical therapy clinics use progressive techniques and technologies to stay on the forefront in their field. Their licensed physical and occupational therapists are committed to providing patients with advanced healing techniques.