Stress incontinence

If you experience urine leakage when you laugh, sneeze, cough or exercise, you have stress incontinence. The most common cause of incontinence is childbirth, because it can damage the pelvic floor muscles that support the bladder neck and urethra.

What you can do: It can take months (six or longer) after delivery for pelvic floor muscles to regain sufficient strength to lessen or stop incontinence, but experts recommend practicisng Kegels to speed up the process. Try doing 10 to 25 Kegels a day and cut down on foods that can irritate the bladder and make incontinence worse, such as caffeine, dairy, spicy foods and acidic fruit including oranges and pineapples.