One of the most common urological problems among expectant mothers during pregnancy is urinary incontinence. The most common symptom of this condition is the frequent feeling of needing to urinate and not being able to make it to the toilet. The severity of urinary incontinence may vary for each woman during pregnancy. If urinary incontinence is severe enough to affect the expectant mother's daily life, she should definitely consult her doctor.
Causes of urinary incontinence during pregnancy
The amount of blood passing through the kidneys of the expectant mother increases during pregnancy. As the amount of blood increases, the amount of blood filtered from the kidneys also begins to increase. The expanding uterus puts pressure on the bladder and pushes it upwards and backwards. The progesterone hormone, which is secreted more during pregnancy , also causes the sphincters between the bladder and the urinary tract to relax. Women during pregnancy are more susceptible to urinary tract infections. The bladder wall becomes sensitive due to the infection in the urinary tract and urine cannot be held. The amount of blood filtered from the kidneys reaches its highest point, especially between the 3rd and 6th months of pregnancy. As a result of this situation, the expectant mother may need to go to the toilet frequently.
There are two causes of urinary incontinence during pregnancy: urge incontinence and stress incontinence. Inability to hold urine while going to the toilet is a result of urge incontinence. The pressure on the bladder increases due to the weight gained during pregnancy. With the increase in pressure in the bladder, the muscles that contract the bladder cannot work adequately and urine cannot be held in the bladder.
The cause of urine leakage due to coughing, sneezing, or lifting weights is stress incontinence. (Stress type urinary incontinence) Stress incontinence occurs when the sphincters located between the bladder and the urethra do not work adequately.
Apart from all these factors, the possibility of urinary incontinence is higher in women who have given birth before and who have given birth to babies weighing more than 3.5 to 4 kilos.
How are urinary incontinence problems of expectant mothers treated?
Urine culture and antibiogram should be performed on mothers with urinary incontinence problems. These tests will show whether the mother has a urinary tract infection. If a urinary tract infection is detected in the woman, the mother will be treated immediately. During pregnancy, surgical interventions for reasons related to urinary incontinence are not recommended by experts. Expectant mothers with urinary incontinence can largely prevent urinary incontinence problems with light exercises they do daily.
Kegel exercises
Kegel exercises are quite easy and can be done at any time of day. The important thing in Kegel exercises is to work the right muscles. Stopping while urinating will help you understand which muscles these are. The muscles that hold urine are the muscles that need to be worked in Kegel exercises. You can do Kegel exercises at any time and place of the day. Give yourself time for each contraction. For example, hold your first contraction for five seconds. You can do it three times a day. You can start with 25 contractions at first and increase this number in the following days. It has been observed that in expectant mothers who do Kegel exercises regularly, urinary incontinence problems disappear after a while.
Comentários