Pregnancy And Baby Care Conditions During Pregnancy Incontinence During Pregnancy

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Urinary incontinence during pregnancy

It is quite common for women to experience urinary or bladder incontinence during pregnancy, where the urge to urinate is so sudden, yet so strong that they can neither control it, nor can they get to a washroom in time.

As a result they may face a lot of embarrassment, especially if this happens in public. There have been several instances where incontinence during pregnancy affects a woman’s day to day activities and schedule.

Stress incontinence during pregnancy

Stress incontinence is slightly different from urinary or bladder incontinence, although the result is the same, unintentional loss of urine. Pregnant women are said to suffer from stress incontinence, when they unintentionally pass urine due to physical activity or movement, like sneezing, coughing, laughing excessively or lifting heavy weight. Contrary to what many women think, stress incontinence during pregnancy is not related to emotional stress. Moreover, women are a lot more likely to suffer from stress incontinence, instead of urinary incontinence during pregnancy.

Bowel incontinence during pregnancy

Bowel incontinence, also known as fecal incontinence during pregnancy, refers to the lack of control over bowel movements, which could call the stool or the feces to leak unexpectedly. Many people have experienced some form of bowel incontinence at some point or the other, especially while passing gas. However, at times, adults, as well as children (over the age of 4) may not be able to control their bowel movements on a certain occasion, which could lead to a lot of embarrassment. Pregnant women may experience this problem, due to a weakened muscle or some nerve damage. Moreover, this is very common during a vaginal delivery, which is why women are required to take an enema, before the delivery process.

Most women deal with incontinence during pregnancy, by taking certain measures, which include protecting their skin with pads and carrying some extra clothing when outdoors. There are several exercises that can help strengthen the pelvic muscles, thereby giving women better control over their bladder and bowel movements. These exercises should only be tried after consultation with a doctor. However, if the problem of incontinence during pregnancy gets too severe, it is best to seek help from a doctor.