A woman whose urinary incontinence became so serious that she could no longer go for a 20-minute walk without needing the bathroom has revealed how she took control of her condition.

Canadian Lynn Lawson told the Vancouver Sun that she suffered from both urge and stress incontinence and carried spare incontinence pads in her handbag at all times.

But after visiting her doctor and being referred to a specialist clinic, she learned a number of tools that have helped her to manage her incontinence.

Ms Lawson revealed that she learned exercises to strengthen her bladder and pelvic floor muscles and discovered which foods were aggravating the condition.

"Coffee was definitely it for me," she told the news provider. "I would drink three cups of coffee in the morning and have two cups of tea in afternoon. I have cut coffee almost out completely."

After visiting the clinic on a regular basis for three months, Ms Lawson no longer relies on incontinence pads when she leaves the house.

She revealed: "For the first time last week I actually went for a walk for an hour and a half and I felt absolutely nothing, which was unbelievable."

GPs may recommend a number of other lifestyle changes to reduce female incontinence, such as drinking six to eight glasses of water per day and maintaining a healthy weight.