Read up on Stress incontinence treatment options at Consumer Reports Health.

Stress incontinence

Key points about treatments

If you leak urine when you cough, sneeze, exercise or laugh, you most likely have stress incontinence. Many women get this problem, especially after they've had children.

You may think you have to put up with this problem. You may even feel too embarrassed to see your doctor. But there are many treatments for stress incontinence that work well.

If stress incontinence has made you nervous about going out and doing things you used to enjoy, treatment will help you get your confidence back so that you can lead an active life.

There are lots of treatments to choose from, including exercises and different types of surgery. Doctors usually start treating stress incontinence with simple treatments, such as exercises, before recommending surgery.

Source:
Berghmans LCM, Hendriks HJM, Bo K, et al.
Conservative treatment of stress urinary incontinence in women: a systematic review of randomised controlled trials.
British Journal of Urology. 1998; 82: 181-191.

Key points about treating stress incontinence

Kegel exercises (also known as pelvic floor exercises) are safe and work well. They make the muscles of your pelvic floor stronger. They're usually the first treatment that doctors recommend.
Doctors can prescribe a drug treatment for stress incontinence. It's called duloxetine (brand name Cymbalta).
If neither exercises nor medications help, surgery to lift your bladder back into the right place usually works.
Surgery through small cuts in your belly (called keyhole surgery or laparoscopic surgery) may work as well as surgery through a large cut (called open surgery).
A newer type of surgery called vaginal tape surgery seems to work as well as a standard operation. And you're likely to recover more quickly afterward.

Sources for the information on this page:

Berghmans LCM, Hendriks HJM, Bo K, et al.Conservative treatment of stress urinary incontinence in women: a systematic review of randomised controlled trials.British Journal of Urology. 1998; 82: 181-191.

This information was last updated on Nov 18, 2008

This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice. Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment.
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