Passing urine and stool 101
Bladder Control
If you pass urine often or leak urine, try the squeezing exercise to help strengthen
weak muscles. This exercise can also help keep your muscles strong so you will be
less likely to leak urine when you are older.
The squeezing exercise
First practice while you are passing urine. As the urine comes out, stop it by tightly
squeezing the muscles in your vagina. Count to 10, then relax the muscles to let the
urine come out. Repeat this several times whenever you pass urine.
I´m doing my
squeezing exercise
and Amana doesn´t
know.
Once you know how, practice the squeezing exercise
at other times during the day. No one will know. Try
to practice at least 4 times a day, squeezing your
muscles 5 to 10 times each time.
Some women may need surgery to help
control leaking urine. If your urine leaks
a lot and this exercise does not help, get
advice from a health worker trained in
women’s health. The squeezing exercise
is good for all women to do every day.
It helps keep muscles strong and can
prevent problems later in life.
Emptying the bladder
If your disability makes you unable to pass urine without
assistance, you will need another way to empty your bladder.
Some women can urinate and empty the bladder if they:
• tap their belly over the bladder, right below the belly
button (navel, umbilicus) and above the pubic bone.
• push down with their hands on the lower belly, over
the bladder.
• put a fist over the lower belly and gently press it by
bending the upper body forward.
• strain to push urine out by making the stomach
muscles tight.
You should use these methods only if the urine comes out easily with gentle
pressure. If your muscles do not relax and let the urine out, pushing on your
bladder can force the urine back into the kidneys and damage them.
If none of these methods work, you will need to use a rubber or plastic tube
called a catheter. Do not use a catheter unless it is the only way you can pass urine.
Even careful use of a catheter can cause infection of the bladder and kidneys.
A Health Handbook for Women with Disabilities 2007