Duke offers comprehensive treatment for fecal incontinence, including dietary adjustments, pelvic floor exercises, and surgery.

Dietary Adjustments

Changes to your diet can remedy chronic constipation, which can aggravate pelvic prolapse and be a cause of fecal incontinence. It is important to address the problem with a high fiber diet and enough daily fluids.

• Adding one to two tablespoons of unprocessed wheat bran to your diet every day is a good start. If necessary for regulation, increase bran slowly over several weeks to approximately six tablespoons every day. Mix the bran in foods like cereals, applesauce, gravies, or pudding. Sprinkle bran on ice cream, fruit, or cottage cheese.
• If diet alone is not effective, fiber-based stool softeners and glycerin suppositories are safe and effective medications that can be used on a daily basis.

Pelvic Floor Exercises

Fecal incontinence occurs when there is poor muscle control resulting in the loss of stool. Regularly tightening the pelvic floor muscles strengthens the muscles important for fecal control.

Patients will be taught how to strengthen these muscles and how to use them when incontinence threatens.

Learn more about pelvic floor muscle exercises

Surgery

The two common causes that we see are due to rectocele or a poor anal sphincter (usually damaged during childbirth). Both problems are amenable to surgical repair with a the prospect of significant improvement.