Preventing incontinence

Incontinence can affect people of all ages, genders and backgrounds. While not all incontinence can be prevented, there are practical steps you can take to support your bladder, bowel and pelvic floor health. Many of these habits are also good for your overall health and wellbeing.

5 healthy habits to help prevent incontinence

• Keep moving
• Eat well
• Drink enough fluids
• Look after your pelvic floor
• Practice healthy toilet habits

Keep moving

Regular physical activity helps keep your bowel working well and can reduce the risk of constipation. Staying active can also help you maintain a healthy weight which reduces pressure on your pelvic floor muscles.

• Aim for around 30 minutes of movement each day
• Choose activities you enjoy, such as walking, gardening, dancing or swimming
• Build movement into your daily routine
• Start slowly if you have not been active for a while and build up from there.

Eat well

A healthy diet supports regular bowel movement and helps prevent constipation which can contribute to incontinence. Try to eat a variety of:

• vegetables – at least 5 serves a day
• fruit
• wholegrain breads and cereals eg porridge, brown rice, wholemeal pasta, wholemeal bread
• legumes eg lentils and beans
• nuts and seeds.

These foods contain fibre, which helps keep faeces (poo) soft and easy to pass. If you increase the amount of fibre in your diet, make sure you also drink enough fluids.

Drink enough fluids

Some people drink less because they worry about leaking urine (wee). However, drinking enough fluid is important for continence health. It helps prevent constipation and can reduce bladder irritation caused by concentrated urine.

Tips include:

• Drink regularly throughout the day
• Choose water most often – it’s the healthiest drink
• Drink more when the weather is hot or when you’re exercising
• For most people, drink up to 2 litres (6 to 8 glasses) of fluid each day – check with your doctor to see how much is right for you.

It can also help to limit carbonated (fizzy) drinks, alcohol, tea and coffee if they make symptoms worse.

Look after your pelvic floor

Pelvic floor muscles support the bladder and bowel and help control when you pass urine (wee), faeces (poo) or flatus (wind).

When the pelvic floor muscles are not working at their best – whether they are tight or weak – you may notice things like leaking, discomfort or pain. If you’re noticing these symptoms, it can be helpful to talk to a nurse continence specialist, pelvic health physiotherapist or GP (doctor) to explore support options.

Regular pelvic floor exercises can help reduce the risk of incontinence, improve control and reduce the chance of urine (wee) leakage. Doing pelvic floor exercises correctly is a learned skill that involves tightening, holding and fully relaxing the muscles. Getting the technique right can make a big difference. A pelvic health physiotherapist or nurse continence specialist can teach you how to do the exercises correctly.

Call the National Continence Helpline on 1800 33 00 66 for free advice on how to exercise and relax your pelvic floor muscles.

Practice healthy toilet habits

Simple toilet habits can help prevent incontinence.

• go to the toilet when you feel the urge
• avoid regularly holding on as this can contribute to constipation
• try not to go to the toilet ‘just in case’ too often
• sit with your knees slightly higher than your hips and lean forward with your elbows on your thighs, keep your spine (back) straight – see diagram

take your time on the toilet and relax – avoid pushing or straining as this can weaken the pelvic floor muscles.

Don’t ignore changes

Talk to a health professional if you notice

• leaking urine (wee) or faeces (poo)
• needing to rush to the toilet
• constipation that does not improve
• pain, bleeding or difficulty emptying your bladder or bowel
• changes that concern you.

For expert advice, talk to a nurse continence specialist or pelvic health physiotherapist. Call the National Continence Helpline on 1800 33 00 66 for free and confidential advice or to find a continence health service near you.

Where to get help

• Your GP (doctor)
• National Continence Helpline– 1800 33 00 66
• Local continence clinic or service
• A nurse continence specialist
• A pelvic health physiotherapist