Download

Pregnancy incontinence: understand and control incontinence

Yourself

Pregnancy incontinence: understand and control incontinence

Bladder and bowel control problems are common symptoms during pregnancy and after giving birth. 

In fact, around 1 in 3 women who ever had a baby, later wet themselves occasionally.

Detecting the problem
During pregnancy, various bladder and bowel problems are attributed to weak pelvic floor muscles. If you have weak pelvic floor muscles, you might:

Assessing bladder and bowel problems
Despite having an easy birth, some women tend to experience more bladder and bowel problems such as irritable bowel syndrome or an urgent need to urinate. 

Factors that make you more likely to have bladder and bowel problems include:

Managing weak pelvic floor muscles
Childbirth might stretch your pelvic floor muscles. Here are some ideas that might help to improve muscle functions:

Improvement after 6 months
Even very poor bladder or weak bowel control often improves in the first 6 months after giving birth. If things do not get better after 6 months, consult your doctor, physiotherapist, or continence nurse advisor.

Cesarean birth and incontinence
Cesarean birth can decrease the risk of severe bladder control problems.

Verified:

Dr. Wanwadee Sapmee Panyakat (OB-GYN) (7 June 2019)

Sources:

DownloadMali Daily Pregnancy Tracker

Daily Pregnancy & Parenting Tracker

Mali has 4.9 Stars from 10,000+ ratings

4.9 Stars from 10,000+ ratings