What treatments are available?

Since there are many types of incontinence, there are also many types of treatment. The good news is that the vast majority of people find an option that significantly improves their situation. In the sections below you will find descriptions of the main types of treatment, including what type of incontinence they are commonly used to treat. If you don’t yet know your diagnosis, we recommend going to How can I get help?, where we can guide you on how to speak to a healthcare professional.

FIRST LINE TREATMENT

Lifestyle changes

There are a number of simple changes you can make to your diet and lifestyle in order to ensure that your bladder and bowel are as healthy as possible.

FIRST LINE TREATMENT

Behavioural treatments

The main behavioural treatment for incontinence involves bladder or bowel “retraining”, which basically means trying to change your bathroom habits.

FIRST LINE TREATMENT

Pelvic floor exercises

These exercises are designed to strengthen certain muscles in your pelvic floor, which can help those suffering from urinary or faecal incontinence.

FIRST LINE TREATMENT

Medical therapies

Different medications treat different types of incontinence. You can find out more about what is available.

FIRST LINE TREATMENT

Mechanical treatments

Pessaries and catheters can help those suffering from incontinence symptoms.

ADVANCED TREATMENT

Medical treatments

Find out main advanced medical treatments for your incontinence

ADVANCED TREATMENT

Surgical treatment

There are a number of surgeries available to help treat urinary and faecal incontinence.

ADVANCED TREATMENT

Sacral neuromodulation

This advanced treatment can improve symptoms of both urinary and faecal incontinence.

NEW TREATMENTS/STUDIES

AMELIE (Anchored Muscle cELls for IncontinencE) Research project

The aim of the research is to use revolutionary cell therapy to find a possible cure for a condition which affects an estimated 67 million people in Europe.

Watch the video here. We are proud to be driving patient & public involvement in the AMELIE project. This exciting work could open up new treatment options for people with bowel incontinence. Our animation, produced in partnership with Science Animated, will help to spread the word!

NEW TREATMENTS/STUDIES

Urethral bulking therapy for treating stress urinary incontinence in women

This article emanates from the highly accredited Cochrane Library

New protocol: Urethral bulking therapy for treating stress urinary incontinence in women

The protocol sets out the methods and rationale behind an upcoming Cochrane review. ‘Urethral bulking therapy for treating stress urinary incontinence in women‘has been authored by Fenne M Casteleijn, Sandra Zwolsman, Jan Paul Roovers, Heidi J Salminen, Victoria L Lavin, Ased Ali, Patricia Aluko and Tobias Page. It sets out the rationale behind the review as well as the methods for the upcoming review.

The protocol is available to read in full on the Cochrane Library (2)

(1) https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD013868/full

(2) https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD013868/full?cookiesEnabled

OTHER TREATMENTS

Self-care products

Though they should be considered a last resort rather than a first treatment, there are moments when self-care products can be very useful, helping to increase your confidence and allowing you to get on with your daily life.

OTHER TREATMENTS

Alternative treatments

Some people like to add a more natural, complementary therapy to their main treatment plan.