ADP - Incontinence Products â€“ Way More Than Adult Nappies

Urinary incontinence is the involuntary discharge of urine, independent of conscious decision. It is always an abnormal symptom and needs to be assessed by a doctor, usually a urologist and, in the case of a woman, also a gynaecologist. There are many adult incontinence products on the market - for example adult nappies, women nappies.

Incontinence Products – Way More Than Adult Nappies

ADP - Using incontinence pads to minimise effects of sensitive bladder

Using incontinence pads to minimise effects of sensitive bladder

While it may feel overwhelming at first, a number of straightforward lifestyle changes can help you manage your overactive bladder and bring big relief. Life is too sweet to let something like bladder irritation stand in your way of living it to the fullest. Try out these overactive bladder treatments below.

Exercise your pelvic floor:

The pelvic floor is a system of muscles and ligaments that form a sort of basket to support your urinary system. Exercises for your pelvic floor – you may know them as Kegels – can strengthen the muscles enough to help overcome spasming. Just like with any physical exercise, results are seen over time. Practice makes perfect. Keep at it and results may be right around the corner. Read about how to perfect your pelvic floor exercise routine here.

Stay hydrated:

This may seem counterintuitive as an overactive bladder treatment. After all, if you have frequent and intense urges to urinate, why would you want to drink more? However, when you don’t drink enough water, your urine becomes more concentrated and acidic, which can irritate your bladder. So, be sure to drink enough every day.

Adopt a bladder-friendly diet:

Certain foods and beverages can act as irritants to your urinary system (mainly by making your urine more acidic, prompting the urge to urinate more often). These include citrus, alcohol, caffeine, fizzy beverages like seltzer and carbonated soft drinks, and even chocolate. Give your bladder a break by limiting these foods. Avoiding foods that are highly acidic like tomatoes and cranberries (Surprise! Drinking cranberry juice actually isn’t that great of an idea despite popular wisdom) can also ease your symptoms. Spicy food is another big culprit. Keeping your food bladder-friendly is a straightforward overactive bladder treatment to get control back in your hands. 

Try bladder training:

Bladder training can both lengthen the amount of time between your bathroom trips, and increase the amount of urine your bladder can hold, giving you more bladder control. Start by holding your urine for five minutes every time you feel the urge to go. When that starts to feel easy, try holding it for ten minutes, and gradually work your way up, strengthening your bladder muscles over time. Another way to train your bladder is to make a ‘go schedule’ in which you use the bathroom on a fixed schedule – say, every hour at first – whether or not you feel the urge to urinate. Once you feel comfortable with your schedule, try increasing the amount of time between each scheduled bathroom visit. 

Double void:

The double-void technique is a way of urinating that ensures you have voided all of the urine from your bladder, so you won’t be caught off guard with an urgent need to go just a short time after leaving the bathroom. Here’s how to do it. After you’ve finished urinating, remain on the toilet for 30 seconds, and urinate again.

Wear bladder leakage products:
 
Ok. This one you don’t have to do at home. Pads and liners give you incredible leakage protection and are compact enough to be stashed in your purse so you are always ready to dance, smile, laugh, and, most importantly, not be worried about little leaks throughout the day

What can you do about it?

Having an overactive bladder can be uncomfortable, and frankly a little annoying. There may be nothing more tiring than running back and forth to the bathroom a zillion times a day. While feeling the sudden urge to urinate multiple times a day isn’t exactly a walk in the park, it doesn’t have to slow you down. Identifying the symptoms and understanding the causes of overactive bladder is key for putting together a bladder management plan that doesn’t hurt your daily routine.

Overactive Bladder Treatments to Fit Your Lifestyle

OG-Incontinence-Products-Way-More-Than-Adult-Nappies

ADP - Incontinence after pregnancy

Incontinence after pregnancy

Dr. Jessica Muir

OG-Overactive-Bladder-Treatments

Many people think that adult diapers are the only solution for adult incontinence – but that’s not the case! Learn what other incontinence products there are!

Talking to a doctor about weak bladder can help you find a solution and improve your quality of life. Find out what you can expect during a visit.

ADP - Talking to a doctor about weak bladder

Talking to a doctor about weak bladder

OG-Talking-to-a-doctor-about-weak-bladder

AS-Incontinence-Products-Way-More-Than-Adult-Nappies

ADP - Overactive Bladder Treatments

Overactive Bladder Treatments

Urinary incontinence is the involuntary passage of urine (micturition), independent of a person's conscious decision, leading to partial or complete emptying of the bladder. Urinary incontinence occurs at any age and in both sexes, but the problem is most common in older and elderly people. In addition, urinary incontinence is more common in women (up to 1 in 5 women over 40) than in men. Above the age of 80, half of women and a third of men suffer from incontinence. Probably only one in two people with incontinence reports the problem to a doctor.

The main types of chronic urinary incontinence are:
- stress urinary incontinence
- urge urinary incontinence
- overflow urinary incontinence.


What is adult incontinence?

Advice from our Experts

Overactive bladder, also known as urge incontinence, occurs when the nerves surrounding your bladder fire too often or too intensely. This makes your bladder muscles contract and sends you running to the bathroom. 

Overactive bladder is caused when the nerves or muscles around the bladder are damaged. As a result, the bladder wall spasms, which makes you feel a continuous and uncomfortable urge to urinate. Damage to other parts of the nervous system can also play a part, especially when there’s a hiccup in the communication between the bladder and the brain. This means that the brain doesn’t receive proper signals that it’s time to go. 

Conditions such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, and stroke can cause damage that leads to urge incontinence. Some medications can also play a role. 

Why does this happen?

Dr Anne Henderson image

Dr. Anne Henderson

Dr. Anne Henderson - Discreet

Article reviewed by

__Incontinence liners__

Liners are thin and flexible, similar to the feminine hygiene pantyliners you may be familiar with, but with more absorbency. Liners are great for those small sprinkles that can happen when you cough, sneeze or exercise.

__Incontinence pad__

Pads are great for heavier bladder leaks, like spurts or streams. Pads are thin and comfortable, and a lot less bulky than adult and ladies nappies so you can be comfortable and confident wearing them under your clothes. Pads come in several absorbencies and lengths depending on your needs.

__Incontinence underwear__

Unlike what you may think, not all incontinence protection feel like adult nappies. You can find very comfortable incontinence underwear that fits smoothly under your clothes – so no one will notice. These are perfect for long trips or when you don’t have fast access to a toilet.

In addition to urinary incontinence products, you may want to consult your doctor about medical treatments, like medication or surgery, to help to alleviate your symptoms.

Don’t let the stigma of adult nappies deter you from getting the protection you really need. Hopefully, now you know what to look for when you’re shopping. Adult nappies are not the only solution!

Incontinence products

If you’re not seeing results from behavioral remedies, you may want to consult your doctor about your medical options. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages, so be sure to weigh each option and choose which is best for you and your lifestyle.

Going the doctor route

Adult incontinence is much more common than you may think, especially in women. Did you know that more than 1 in 3 women over the age of 35 experience some degree of urinary incontinence? Choosing the right incontinence nappies for adults is an extremely important matter. It is not only about comfort, but also about health - the urinary tract and sensitive intimate areas are badly affected by contact with wetness and urine. The absorbent pad, the type of product and its size are important - absorbent briefs and nappies need to be correctly sized to fulfill their purpose.


Adult Incontinence Products – There’s Much More to Them than Just Adult Nappies

 Advice & Support - AS02 - Managing Urinary Incontinence

Managing Urinary Incontinence

Dealing with Urinary Incontinence

Bringing up bladder sensitivity can feel awkward, so consider saying “I have to use the toilet a lot more” or 'I'm experiencing bladder sensitivity' to encourage your doctor to ask further questions. Your doctor will ask you a few questions: “When do you experience urinary losses?” and “How often do you go to the toilet?”. Then you’ll need to lie down for a physical examination and cough so your doctor can inspect the way your abdomen contracts and check the firmness of your pelvic floor. If you would prefer to have a female doctor undertake the examination please do not hesitate to let the clinic you are attending know this. You also have the right to a chaperone being present during the appointment.

What to expect

We know that having an overactive bladder isn’t always easy. But it doesn’t need to rule your life! Here are some off-the-beaten-path overactive bladder treatments that are straightforward and simple, but deliver a big payoff! 

Get moving:

Exercising can help shed extra pounds. Weight management is helpful for an overactive bladder because excess weight puts pressure on the bladder and the pelvic floor muscles, which can lead to stress incontinence. Just going for more walks around the block (or in the park) is a simple and easy way to get moving.

Get regular:

Having regular bowel movements eliminates extra and unnecessary pressure on your bladder. To stay regular, be sure to eat lots of fiber. Try eating prunes as snacks for an overactive bladder treatment that is sweet to eat and delivers an extra boost to get your system moving 

Acupuncture:

Using very fine needles inserted into pinpointed, strategic places in your body, acupuncturists can target specific nerve pathways related to urination. This may ease some of the symptoms of an overactive bladder.

Stop smoking:

Cigarette smoke can aggravate your bladder muscles. Smoker’s cough can also trigger little leaks of urine. Living a healthy lifestyle can greatly improve symptoms of an overactive bladder!

Some alternative remedies


Having an overactive bladder means that your bladder muscles contract involuntarily, creating the urge to urinate, even when the bladder isn’t full. This means getting the urge to go more than 8 times per day – and even getting up more than twice in the middle of the night to tinkle. 

What is an overactive bladder?

Dr. Jessica Muir - Discreet


Finding the right incontinence product to address your symptoms can feel a bit daunting, especially if you’re only familiar with old-fashioned adult nappies. Many people think that adult nappies are the only solution for adult incontinence – but that’s not the case! Products that help to manage incontinence symptoms have improved significantly. Now, there is a range of incontinence products designed to meet your specific needs, whether you experience occasional drips or full bladder loss - including very nice and practical adult diapers for women.

Here’s a guide to help you to make sense of what’s what on the shelf at the store:

- Light drips - liners

- Small spurts – light and moderate pads

- Streams – heavy pads

- Sudden gushes – extra heavy pads

- Large gushes (up to a full bladder) – extra heavy pads or underwear

You can also choose to use adult diapers for women or incontinence nappies for adults. You can buy very modern models adult nappies, which you will not be ashamed to wear.


You may feel it’s too embarrassing to discuss, or maybe you don’t think there are treatment options available, but talking to a doctor about it can help you find a solution and improve your quality of life.

While feeling the sudden urge to urinate multiple times a day isn’t exactly a walk in the park, it doesn’t have to slow you down. Visit our website to learn more about various overactive bladder treatments.

Not all women with urinary incontinence need medical therapy or surgery. Pelvic floor exercises, done properly and regularly, can make a huge difference. Weakness of the pelvic floor is very common, but especially in women who’ve had children, have gone through the menopause or are overweight. Your doctor may be able to offer referral to a specialist physiotherapist to help with this. Women can plan their toilet stops when going on planned activities, and there are specific smartphone apps to help them find the nearest toilet. Special urinary incontinence pads for ladies can make all the difference to confidence and it’s important to know that [pads for urinary incontinence](/en-gb/discreet/incontinence-products/incontinence-pads) differ from typical sanitary pads. I recommend using incontinence pads with different absorbency depending on your needs and body shape. [Light urinary incontinence pads](/en-gb/discreet/incontinence-products/incontinence-pads) are sufficient for occasional leakage – they ensure the necessary safety, are invisible under clothes, and are completely discreet. [Lady urinary incontinence pads](/en-gb/discreet/incontinence-products/incontinence-pads) or [pants](/en-gb/discreet/incontinence-products/incontinence-pants) with larger absorbency are for those with frequent, higher-intensity leakage, or in situations where it is impossible to change the pad, such as road trips.

ADP - How to do pelvic floor exercises

How to do pelvic floor exercises

Once the examination is over, your doctor will let you know whether your condition is due to muscle weakness, and if you’re experiencing [urge incontinence](/en-gb/discreet/incontinence-advice/bladder-problems/bladder-weakness-in-women) (when you have a strong need to urinate but can't reach the toilet in time),  [stress incontinence](/en-gb/discreet/incontinence-advice/bladder-problems/bladder-weakness-in-women)  (when you experience sensitive bladder when coughing, sneezing or laughing) or a [mixed incontinence](/en-gb/discreet/incontinence-advice/bladder-problems/bladder-weakness-in-women).

Talking to your doctor about sensitive bladder symptoms will help you look for solutions together. From pelvic floor exercises to bladder retraining or medication, there is a range of solutions and your doctor should talk to you about them. Considering your options and doing some research before the appointment can help ensure you request the support that you feel will work for you. No matter which solution you decide upon, rest assured that there are incontinence products to support you while you make a decision.

The diagnosis

Click here to read what can be done to minimise the effects of urinary incontinence in everyday life. Try our solutions to issues with weak bladder

ADP - How to talk about sensitive bladder?

How to talk about sensitive bladder?

Dr. Jessica Muir 

Middle aged woman talking to a doctor in ordination

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Always Discreet Incontinence Pads Long 10 ct

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