Children's Health

Study: Constipation May Cause Bed-wetting

Bed-wetting Expert: More Study Needed continued...

“This was a very small study and it is not clear if the treatment caused the children to get better or if they simply got better on their own,” he says.

He adds that many parents might also be leery of subjecting their child to repeated X-rays or ultrasound exams even though the radiation doses are low.

Perlstein says he has had a lot of success using behavioral conditioning with bed-wetting alarms to treat pediatric bed-wetting. The moisture-sensing alarms are designed to awaken the child when urination starts with the goal of training them to awaken on their own without the alarm.

He most often prescribes the drug desmopressin for special situations, such as when a child is sleeping at a friend’s house or goes away to camp.

And he recommends limiting liquids before bedtime and encouraging the child to go to the bathroom before bed.