Question: How can I manage and treat my fecal incontinence?
Answer: You can help manage and treat your fecal incontinence in the following ways.

Wearing absorbent pads

Wearing absorbent pads inside your underwear is the most frequently used treatment for fecal incontinence. For milder forms of fecal incontinence—few bowel leakage accidents, small volumes of stool, or staining of underwear—wearing absorbent pads may make a big difference in your quality of life. Wearing absorbent pads can be combined with other treatments.

Diet changes

Changing what you eat can help prevent or relieve your fecal incontinence. If diarrhea is the problem, your doctor will recommend avoiding foods and drinks that make your diarrhea worse. To find out which foods and drinks make your fecal incontinence better or worse, your doctor may recommend keeping a food diary to track

what you eat each day
how much of certain foods you eat
when you eat
whatsymptoms you have
what types of bowel movements you have, such as diarrhea orconstipation
when your fecal incontinence happens
which foods or drinks make your fecal incontinence better or worse

Take your food diary to your doctor to talk about the foods and drinks that affect your fecal incontinence.

If constipation or hemorrhoids are causing your fecal incontinence, your doctor may recommend eating more fiber and drinking more liquids. Talk with your doctor or a dietitian about how much fiber and liquids are right for you.

Over-the-counter medicines

Depending on the cause, over-the-counter medicines can help reduce or relieve your fecal incontinence. If diarrhea is causing your fecal incontinence, your doctor may recommend medicines such as loperamide (Imodium) and bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol, Kaopectate). If constipation is causing your fecal incontinence, your doctor may recommend laxatives, stool softeners, or fiber supplements such as psyllium (Metamucil) or methylcellulose (Citrucel).

Bowel training

Your doctor may recommend that you train yourself to have bowel movements at certain times of the day, such as after meals. Developing regular bowel movements may take weeks to months to improve fecal incontinence.

Pelvic floor muscle exercises

Pelvic floor muscle exercises, also called Kegel exercises, can improve fecal incontinence symptoms. Tightening and relaxing your pelvic floor muscles many times a day can strengthen the muscles in your anus, pelvic floor, and rectum. Your doctor can help make sure you’re doing the exercises the right way.
Question: How do doctors treat fecal incontinence?
Answer: How doctors treat fecal incontinence depends on the cause. Your doctor may recommend one or more of the following treatments:

Biofeedback therapy

Biofeedback therapy uses devices to help you learn how to do exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles. This therapy can also help you learn how to

sense when stool is filling your rectum if you havepassive incontinence
control strong sensations of urgency if you haveurge incontinence

Biofeedback therapy can be more effective than learning pelvic floor exercises on your own. Ask your doctor about getting a biofeedback machine or device.

Sacral nerve stimulation

The sacral nerves control the anal sphincters, colon, and rectum. Doctors use sacral nerve stimulation—a type of electrical stimulation—when the nerves are not working properly. For this treatment, your doctor places thin wires under your skin near the sacral nerves, just above the tailbone. A battery-operated device sends mild electrical pulses through the wires to the sacral nerves.

Electrical stimulation of the sacral nerves helps them work properly. The electrical pulses do not hurt. You can turn the electrical stimulation on or off at any time.

Prescription medicines

If over-the-counter medicines to treat your fecal incontinence aren’t helping your symptoms, your doctor may prescribe prescription medicines that are stronger. These medicines may treat the causes of fecal incontinence, such as irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn’s disease, and ulcerative colitis.

Vaginal balloons

For women with fecal incontinence, your doctor may prescribe a device that inflates a balloon inside your vagina. The balloon puts pressure on the wall of your rectum through the vaginal wall. Pressure on the wall of your rectum keeps stool from passing. After your doctor makes sure the device fits right, you can add or remove air from the device as needed to control the passing of stool.

Nonabsorbable bulking agents

Nonabsorbable bulking agents are substances injected into the wall of your anus to bulk up the tissue around the anus. The bulkier tissues make the opening of your anus narrower so the sphincters are able to close better.

Surgery

Surgery may be an option for fecal incontinence that fails to improve with other treatments, or for fecal incontinence caused by injuries to the pelvic floor muscles or anal sphincters.

Sphincteroplasty. Sphincteroplasty—the most common fecal incontinence surgery—reconnects the separated ends of an anal sphincter torn by childbirth or another injury.

Artificial anal sphincter. This surgery involves placing a cuff around your anus and implanting a small pump under the skin so that you can inflate or deflate the cuff. Inflating the cuff controls the passage of stool. This surgery is not a common treatment because it may cause side effects.

Colostomy. Colostomy is a surgery in which the colon is brought through an opening in the abdominal wall, and stools are collected in a bag on the outside of the abdomen. Doctors may recommend this surgery as a last resort for the treatment of fecal incontinence. However, this surgery is rarely used to treat fecal incontinence because of the colostomy’s effect on quality of life.

Other surgeries. Doctors may perform other surgeries to treat the causes of fecal incontinence, such as

hemorrhoids
rectal prolapse
rectocele
Question: What should I do about anal discomfort?
Answer: Fecal incontinence can cause anal discomfort such as irritation, pain, or itching. You can help relieve anal discomfort by

washing the anal area after a bowel movement
changing soiled underwear as soon as possible
keeping the anal area dry
using a moisture-barrier cream in the area around your anus
using nonmedicated powders
using wicking pads or disposable underwear
wearing clothes and underwear that let air pass through easily

Talk with your doctor or a health care professional about which moisture-barrier creams and nonmedicated powders are right for you.
Question: How do I cope with my fecal incontinence?
Answer: Doing the following can help you cope with your fecal incontinence:

using the toilet before leaving home
carrying a bag with cleanup supplies and a change of clothes when leaving the house
finding public restrooms before one is needed
wearing absorbent pads inside your underwear
wearing disposable underwear
using fecal deodorants—over-the-counter pills that reduce the smell of stool and gas
taking over-the-counter medicines to help prevent diarrhea before eating in restaurants or at social gatherings

As part of coping with your fecal incontinence, remember that fecal incontinence

isn't something to be ashamed of—it's simply a medical problem
can often be treated—a wide range of successful treatments are available
isn't always a normal part of aging
won't usually go away on its own—most people need treatment
Question: What should I do if my child has fecal incontinence?
Answer: If your child has fecal incontinence and is older than age 4 and toilet trained, you should see a doctor to find out the cause. How the doctor treats your child’s incontinence depends on the cause.