Does postpartum urinary incontinence require rest?

Written by Zhang Lu
Obstetrics
Updated on June 16, 2025
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Necessary. During pregnancy, as the uterus enlarges, it compresses the pelvic floor. Combined with injuries to the pelvic floor during a vaginal birth, this can lead to pelvic floor dysfunction, which increases the risk of conditions like uterine prolapse, bladder prolapse, and urinary incontinence. The more childbirths a woman has, the more severe urinary incontinence may become. Postpartum urinary incontinence can be improved through adequate rest and adjunctive therapies. 1. Adequate rest by scheduling fixed times to urinate and increasing the frequency of urination can help reduce residual urine. 2. Performing Kegel exercises at home can help strengthen the sphincter muscles, helping to prevent further worsening of urinary incontinence. 3. If the above methods are ineffective, pelvic floor electrical stimulation therapy can be considered.

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Written by Wang Shuai
Urology
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Urinary incontinence pelvic floor muscle exercise method

If you want to improve urinary incontinence through pelvic floor muscle exercises, this method is mainly suitable for mild stress urinary incontinence and is not applicable to all types of urinary incontinence. Therefore, if you want to improve urinary incontinence through pelvic floor muscle exercises, you first need to determine if it is mild stress urinary incontinence before proceeding. Usually, we choose to do anal lift exercises to improve this. The specific exercise method for anal lift exercises is to take a deep breath, lift the anus, hold for about five seconds, then relax, and continuously practice 15 times. Perform 15 times per set, about 20 sets a day, and it needs to be maintained for more than half a year to be effective.

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Written by Wang Shuai
Urology
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How to treat stress urinary incontinence?

Stress urinary incontinence primarily refers to the leakage of urine from the urethra while sneezing, coughing, laughing, or lifting heavy objects, which increases abdominal pressure. This condition is commonly seen in women who have given birth, mainly due to the relaxation of the pelvic floor muscles and the detrusor muscles. If the symptoms are not very severe, they can be improved through functional exercises of the pelvic floor muscles and the detrusor muscle. If the condition is moderate or severe stress urinary incontinence, surgical treatment is recommended. Mid-urethral sling procedures can be adopted to control urination.

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Written by Du Rui Xia
Obstetrics
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Can you have intercourse with postpartum urinary incontinence?

Postpartum urinary incontinence should preclude sexual intercourse, as intercourse can exacerbate the condition. It is necessary to wait until recovery is achieved before resuming sexual activities. It is advised that patients promptly seek hospital treatment for pelvic floor muscle rehabilitation, which can generally bring effective relief within six months. If recovery begins after more than six months, the results can be poor. It is also important to develop good living habits, ensuring adequate sleep, avoiding fatigue, and refraining from heavy physical labor. Proper bowel movements should be maintained to prevent constipation, which can increase abdominal pressure and worsen urinary incontinence.

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Written by Chen Xiao Jun
Emergency Department
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Can shock cause incontinence?

Shock patients often experience incontinence, which is very common in clinical settings. Various reasons can lead to shock, causing a decrease in the body's blood pressure. This results in severely inadequate perfusion of the brain, heart, and blood vessels, leading to the loss of control over the body's urinary and fecal reflexes and resulting in incontinence. Therefore, when shock occurs, we should strengthen nursing care, actively rehydrate, and actively treat the shock. It is also important to promptly identify and treat the cause of the shock. Only comprehensive treatment can save the patient's life. Moreover, enhancing nursing care is very important for shock patients, as they are prone to suffocation and incontinence.

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Written by Chen Tian Jing
Colorectal Surgery
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What medicine to take for fecal incontinence?

There are many causes of fecal incontinence, and it is first necessary to further clarify the cause. Most cases of fecal incontinence are mainly due to excessive relaxation of the local anal sphincter or damage to the patient's nervous system, thus requiring oral medication to treat the nervous system. When there is relaxation of the local anal sphincter, simply taking oral medication does not have significant local therapeutic effects. The most effective method is to directly perform a sphincter tightening surgery. After the local sphincter is tightened surgically, it can control the excretion of feces, thereby further alleviating the situation of fecal incontinence. If the patient also has a neurological disorder, it is necessary to actively treat the underlying disease. (The use of medications should be done under the guidance of a doctor.)