While the reasons vary from person to person as to why your onset has just started, the underlying problem is the same. You lack sufficient control over the muscles of your pelvic floor.
Barring any anatomical dysfunction, if you are otherwise healthy and you just start leaking for some reason, it's most likely due to bad control of your pelvic floor muscles. As we age, our muscles do not maintain the same health and strength as in our youth. Now you may cough, sneeze, or laugh and you're leaking!
You need to know how to Kegel, you need to be able to Kegel, and you need to know how to hold a Kegel for 10 seconds, 10 times. You need to be able to relax the muscles of your pelvic floor and be able to fully let go of a pelvic floor muscle contraction. You need to be able to do 10 quick flicks (contract-relax within 1 second).
You should not squeeze your butt, you should not squeeze your inner thighs, you should not tuck your bottom. The only thing you can co-contract when you Kegel or do a pelvic floor muscle contraction is your stomach, but then you also have to make sure you let go of your stomach.
If you don't know if you are squeezing your butt or gripping your legs together or you can't feel it, you probably don't have great control of your pelvic floor muscles and it can be better. You need to see a pelvic floor physical therapist to confirm that you can do a good Kegel.
There is no reason that you really should need medication, you can have strong pelvic floor muscles and stop leaking. A pelvic floor physical therapist can use biofeedback if you're opposed to an internal exam.
If there is something wrong or they are seeing something funny they can tell you that too, and send you back to your physician. There is no harm in going to see your pelvic floor PT, first.
Sudden onset of leaks may be different from urine leaks with urgency. If you have been leaking when you have to go, you may want to check out our article on Urge Incontinence.
-Dr. Lauren Collier Peterson, PT, DPT
FYZICAL Therapy & Balance Centers of Oklahoma City provides pelvic floor physical therapy in Lakeside, The Village, Nichols Hills and surrounding NW Oklahoma City. Our pelvic floor physical therapists are specially trained to treat all types of pelvic floor dysfunction including incontinence in men and women. Our practitioners take a patient-centered individualized approach that focuses on your pelvic health needs. If you are unsure about your pelvic health, or you want to see the FYZICAL Difference for yourself, schedule a free consultation today.