Understanding Overactive Bladder Syndrome
Do you feel the need to rush to the restroom multiple times a day? Is it difficult to make it through a meeting or movie without taking a bathroom break? Are you waking several times during the night to go to the bathroom? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may have an overactive bladder.
Overactive bladder affects 33 million men and women in the United States, or 1 in 6 adults. It’s a real condition and is more common than you might think.
Why overactive bladder occurs
“A ‘normal’ bladder will fill, and then signal the urge to urinate. If the bladder isn’t working correctly, the muscle works overtime and contracts too often or when it isn’t full. This can cause frequent, strong and sudden urges to urinate. These urges may also be associated with bladder leakage,” states Penn Medicine urogynecologist, Gina Northington, MD, PhD.
What are the symptoms of overactive bladder?
Overactive bladder symptoms may include:
- Urinary frequency – urinating often, usually more than 8 times in a day.
- Urinary urgency – strong and sudden sensation to urinate immediately potentially causing accidental urinary leakage.
- Nocturia – getting up more than once at night to urinate.
- Urinary incontinence – leakage of urine that may accompany the sudden strong urge to urinate.
“New research shows that the symptoms alone or in combination can have a significant impact on someone’s quality of life,” states Dr. Northington, who is currently working on overactive bladder research at Penn.
Overactive bladder may cause social, psychological, occupational, domestic, physical, and sexual problems. Many people never report symptoms of overactive bladder — thinking that treatment is not available or that the symptoms are normal consequences of aging or childbirth.
Can overactive bladder be treated?
Dr. Northington states, “Overactive bladder is not considered normal at any age and can be successfully managed with current therapies. In addition, our research in this area is leading to new, even more effective treatment options.”
Current treatment options available for overactive bladder include behavioral therapies (i.e. change in diet and exercise), bio-feedback therapy, medication or surgery.
Who do I see for treatment?
If you suspect that you have a bladder or pelvic floor problem, talk to your gynecologist or primary care physician about your symptoms. Your doctor will advise if you should seek further assistance from a urogynecologist or urologist, physicians specializing in bladder and pelvic floor disorders. The specialist may decide that a more intensive evaluation to diagnose the problem is needed.
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