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Bladder control problems are very common in women and research shows that every one in five women will suffer from it. However, most women are either embarrassed or ashamed to talk about them. Keep in mind that bladder control problems in women are experienced by a majority of women at some point in their lifetime. Learning about bladder control problems and their various symptoms can help women to identify the problem and take steps to treat it. Women should not shy away from talking about bladder control problems as these problems can be easily rectified. Read on to find out more about female bladder problems.

The most common bladder control problems in women are listed below:

• Urinary Incontinence: Urinary incontinence occurs when the pelvic muscles begin to weaken. These pelvic muscles comprise of the bladder muscle and the sphincter muscles which help to keep the urine in the urethra and prevent it from leaking involuntarily. Most women experience incontinence. Women can leak urine when they laugh, sneeze, cough or exercise. There are different types of urine incontinence. Urge incontinence occurs after a strong sudden urge to urinate. This can be due to nerve damage from diabetes, infection, a stroke and so on. Mixed incontinence is due to both urge and stress incontinence. Functional incontinence is due to mobility problems.
• Nerve Spasm: Nerves may sometimes get damaged due to accidents, radiation, surgery, or a herniated disc. This results in the nerves not sending correct messages to the brain and could also result in involuntary urination. This could cause a person to either urinate very often in small intervals or not urinate even though the bladder is full. The urine will then leak out as the person has not control over his/her bladder.
• Gall Bladder Problems: Gall bladder problems also contribute to bladder control problems in women. An infection in the gall bladder which is caused by gallstones will spread into the bladder and cause discomfort.
• Urinary Tract Infection (UTI): A urinary tract infection is caused by bacteria known as Escherichia coli. This bacterium infects the urinary tract. Symptoms of a UTI include skin pealing, itching, burning or pain during urination or foul smelling urine or vaginal area. UTI bladder infections in women affect women of all age groups. Symptoms should be recognized and diagnosed quickly so that treatment can be started.
• Interstitial Cystitis & Bladder Prolapse: These are two more reasons for the occurrence of bladder control problems. Bladder prolapse causes the bladder to lean into the vaginal wall or sag. Most women say that they feel a ball has been placed in the vaginal canal. Interstitial Cystitis occurs when a woman is suffering from stomach ulcers.
• Bladder Control Problems after Pregnancy: Women can also experience urinary incontinence during and after pregnancy. Childbirth can weaken the pelvic floor muscles which then cause an overactive bladder. This is why many women experience this incontinence after pregnancy.

Now that we know all about bladder control problems in women, let us look at the ways in which these problems can be treated and cured. Natural bladder control treatment includes practicing bladder control exercises. These exercises, also known as Kegel exercises can be practiced at any time during the day. It is advised to practice the exercises at least three times a day for best results. To practice these Kegel exercises you need to:-

Keep your abdominal, buttocks and thigh muscles relaxed and tighten the muscles of your pelvic floor. Hold the muscles and count to 10. Then relax the muscles while counting to 10. Do at least 10 of these exercises daily. Women who practice these exercises see results within 4-6 weeks.