What Are The Specific Symptoms Of Overactive Bladder
Overactive bladder represents a collection of symptoms that can include:
- Urinary urgency: This is a failure to be able to postpone the need to urinate. When you feel you need to urinate, you have a limited amount of time to get to a bathroom.
- Frequency of urination: People who experience this symptom need to urinate very often. Typically its an increase in the number of times you urinate compared to what you previously experienced.
- Urge incontinence: In this case, there can be a leakage of urine when you get the urge to urinate.
- Nocturia: This symptom is characterized by the need to get up and urinate at least two times each night.
How To Pee Less Often: Frequent Urination Treatment
It is important to understand the root cause of frequent urination in order to address the issue. There have been significant advances in medical science and disease treatment, improving the quality of life for lots of people. Health issues like frequent urination can often be addressed and treated. Consult your health care provider for relevant treatment.
Frequent Urination In Women
What is frequent urination?
Frequent urination is the need to urinate more than you normally would. The urge can strike suddenly and can cause you to lose control of your bladder. It can feel uncomfortable, like your bladder is extremely full.
Frequent urination is also referred to as having an overactive bladder. Urologists, who are doctors that specialize in the urinary system, consider going more than 8 times in 24 hours to be frequent urination.
The key to treating frequent urination is addressing the underlying cause.
A urinary tract infection is a common cause of frequent urination. This happens when bacteria enter the bladder through the urethra.
Its estimated that 50 to 60 percent of women will experience at least one UTI in their lives. One-third of women will experience one before the age of 24 thats severe enough to require antibiotics.
Women are more at risk for a UTI than men because their urethras are shorter. Bacteria have less distance to travel before they can infect the urinary tract and cause symptoms.
Common risk factors for a UTI include:
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Bladder Prostate Or Ovarian Cancer
If a person frequently needs to pee but little comes out, it could be a sign of cancer. Cancers that can affect peeing include bladder cancer, prostate cancer, and ovarian cancer.
The symptoms for all these cancers can be similar to other urinary tract conditions, so it is important to speak to a medical professional if urination issues arise.
According to the HHS, a doctor can do various tests to determine whether a person has a UTI. These tests include:
- a dipstick test, which looks for substances in a personâs urine that might suggest a UTI
- a urinalysis, which looks for cells, bacteria, and other substances in the urine
- a urine culture, which can determine what type of bacteria are causing the UTI
A doctor will also take a personâs full medical history and perform a physical examination.
If the doctor rules out a UTI or finds signs of cancer during a physical examination, they may suggest further medical procedures to determine what is causing the personâs symptoms.
Symptoms Of Frequent Or Painful Urination
Frequent or painful urination can be a symptom of a variety of health conditions requiring treatment.
Symptoms of frequent urination that call for a visit to the physician as soon as possible include:
- Pain in the lower abdomen, side or groin
- Painful urination
- Blood in the urine, or red or dark brown urine. This can be a dangerous sign and should always be evaluated.
- A powerful urge to urinate
- Difficulty urinating, or trouble emptying the bladder completely
- Fever
- Discharge from the vagina or penis
- Loss of bladder control.
People should see a physician when urinary frequency increases with no obvious cause , especially if other symptoms are present.
Symptoms accompanying painful urination requiring medical attention are:
- Painful urination lasting more than one day
- Discharge from the penis or vagina
- Blood in the urine
- For pregnant women, any painful urination.
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Catheter Pain: One Possible Tip For Relief
March 20, 2013 by Ken Theriot
Catheter pain is is probably greatest when the thing is being put in, and sometimes when its being taken out. But after youve survived urinary catheter insertion, at least for most people, the worst is over. However, depending on the type of catheter you had installed , you may still experience some catheter pain, especially in the case of an indwelling catheter that is expected to stay in your bladder for awhile usually from a few days all the way up to forever.
My catheter is of the suprapubic type of indwelling cath. It is a Foley catheter, which means that it is held in place by a balloon inflated with saline inside my bladder. Now as you can imagine, having something the size of a golf ball with a little straw-like tube sticking out of it sitting in your bladder is going to feel odd to some degree, and occasionally cause some pain.
In my case, the catheter pain felt mostly like an urge to pee, which is fairly unpleasant, especially since you cannot just relieve it by going to the bathroom. Your new reality is that you dont go to the bathroom in the same way anymore. Your bladder pumps out your pee through the catheter. So what do you do about that urge-pain?
Several Causes Of Feeling The Urge To Urinate During Sex
Mechanics
During vaginal intercourse, the penis may directly hit the bladder wall, and this trauma can cause bladder irritation, says Dr. Ingber.
To avoid the conviction that you have to go when this happens, you should void right before sexual relations.
If sex is planned, then hold off on fluid intake in the few hours preceding, if thats comfortable. Certainly you dont want to be distracted by thirst in the middle of the activity.
Overactive Bladder
Dr. Ingber continues, Also, 20 percent of our population has overactive bladder. This is a condition where the bladder muscle will spasm intermittently, and can give women the feeling of bladder fullness.
Urinary Tract Infection
Other women can get a small amount of bacteria which can travel through the urethra due to penetration during relations.
This small amount of bacteria, when it proliferates, can cause a urinary tract infection.
In some women, we recommend that they take a low-dose antibiotic prophylactic pill just after sexual activity to prevent full-blown UTIs.
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Diagnosis Of Frequent Or Painful Urination
The physician will study the symptoms and take a complete medical history to determine the cause of the frequent or painful urination. He or she may order additional tests, such as:
- A laboratory examines and tests a urine sample to determine its contents and whether infection is present.
- Cystometry or Urodynamics. This measures the pressure within the bladder and assesses how well the bladder is working. This test allows physicians to understand if nerve or muscle problems may be interfering with bladder function.
- Using a thin, lighted instrument called a cystoscope, the physician can view inside the urethra and bladder to look for physical problems.
- Neurological tests. A physician might request tests to confirm or eliminate the possibility of a nerve disorder that affects bladder function.
- This imaging test uses sound waves to make a picture of the organs inside the body to check for issues affecting urinary function.
Symptoms Of Oab Your Browser Does Not Support Html5 Audio Playback You May Download The Audio File Directly Here
Urgency: This is the main symptom of OAB. It is a strong need to urinate that can’t be ignored. This “gotta go” feeling makes people afraid that they’ll leak urine if they don’t find a bathroom right away. OAB may also cause:
- Incontinence : Sometimes OAB causes urine to leak out before getting to the bathroom. This is called “urgency incontinence.” Some people may leak just a few drops, while others can have a sudden gush.
- Urinate frequently: OAB may also cause people to go to the bathroom many times during the day. Experts say that “frequent urination” is when you have to go to the bathroom more than eight times in 24 hours.
- Wake up at night to urinate: OAB can wake a person from sleep to go to the bathroom more than once a night. This is called “nocturia” by health providers.
Some foods and drinks can bother the bladder. Caffeine, artificial sweeteners, alcohol, chocolate and very spicy foods may make OAB symptoms worse.
OAB does not cause pain. If you feel pain while urinating, you may have an infection. Please talk with your health care provider about pain.
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Can Overactive Bladder Be Controlled
Overactive bladder therapy can be challenging to manage. However, many people are very satisfied with the treatment they receive and they often see a dramatic improvement in their quality of life. Your doctor will guide you to the best steps to begin with and give you options for any additional treatments you may need over time.
Is Bladder Pressure The Same Thing As A Spasm
Do you have pressure in your bladder that just wont go away? This type of chronic bladder pain is different from the spasms you may get with a condition such as overactive bladder or a urinary tract infection .
Bladder pressure feels more like constant ache rather than a muscle contraction. Doctors typically attribute bladder pressure to interstitial cystitis . IC is also known as bladder pain syndrome.
Heres more about this syndrome, its causes, and how to get relief from the pressure.
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Urinary Tract Infections : More Common In Women
Urinary tract infections, sometimes called bladder infections, strike women more often than men, and simple anatomy is the cause.
The female urethra is closer to areas that have natural bacteria, such as the anus and vagina. Its also shorter than a mans urethra, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases .
Bladder pain from UTIs can happen at any age. In young women, it is a common symptom of urinary tract infections, along with frequent and painful urination. Symptoms in older women can vary but typically include muscle aches, abdominal pain, fatigue, and weakness.
Its important to see your doctor because treatment with antibiotics like Macrobid or Bactrim can usually clear up a urinary tract infection, the NIDDK notes.
And though the infection may go away without treatment, antibiotics can speed healing and quickly eliminate uncomfortable symptoms. Drinking extra fluids and urinating frequently will also help treat the infection and your discomfort.
Symptoms Of Interstitial Cystitis
The main symptoms of interstitial cystitis are:
- intense pelvic pain
- sudden strong urges to pee
- needing to pee more often than normal
- waking up several times during the night to go to the toilet
The pain may be worse when your bladder is full and may be temporarily relieved when you go to the toilet.
You might also find the pain is worse during periods or after having certain foods or drinks.
The symptoms will often come and go in phases. You may have episodes lasting days, weeks or months where your symptoms improve, followed by times when they’re worse.
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What Can I Do To Control Frequent Urination
There are several lifestyle changes and non-medicated ways to manage your frequent urination. These can include:
- Avoiding drinking fluids before going to bed.
- Limiting the amount of alcohol and caffeine you drink.
- Doing Kegel exercises to build up strength in your pelvic floor. These muscles support the organs in the pelvis, including your bladder. Kegel exercises are often prescribed to women after childbirth because of the stress having a baby places on the pelvic floor muscles.
- Wearing a protective pad or underwear to avoid leaks. This is a short-term solution that can help you keep living your life while your condition is being treated.
Mind Your Pees And Queues
AkaMisery explained that she felt a constant pressure like she had to pee. As soon as she emptied her bladder, the feeling built up again. There was no burning, her urine was a normal colour and there was no smell. This sort of symptom can have lots of causes. Urine infections and sexually transmitted infections head the list, followed by bladder conditions such as stones and – rarely – tumours. AkaMisery had lots of tests to rule out these conditions and did the rounds of various doctors who she really didn’t find very helpful.
Middlechild79 posted on the board that she had had similar symptoms and wondered if the problem was overactive bladder . I agree that – having ruled out other causes – it’s very likely that this is the diagnosis.
OAB occurs when the bladder squeezes suddenly without you having control and when the bladder is not full. It’s sometimes called an irritable bladder or detrusor instability . OAB can cause major disruption to a person’s life. Simple activities, such as going out, shopping or queuing, can become a nightmare.
OAB can occur after a stroke, with Parkinson’s disease, in multiple sclerosis or after a spinal injury. However, in most cases no cause can be found. It’s then called overactive bladder syndrome.
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What Is Bladder Fullness
Bladder fullness is a sensation that the bladder is filled to capacity and there is a need to urinate. This is also known as urinary or bladder urging. It is normal sensation that every person experiences as the bladder fills close to its maximum capacity. It serves as a signal that a person needs to find the appropriate facility to urinate. Although the sensation can be ignored for a period of time if the situation is not suitable, the sensation gradually intensifies until a person can no longer bear it or a person may end up urinating involuntarily.
However, sometimes the bladder fullness sensation occurs even after passing urine or with there being only small amounts of urine contained within the bladder compared to its normal capacity. In these cases the sensation is abnormal and most likely a symptom of some underlying disease of the bladder. It is more correctly known as urinary or vesical tenesmus. Although the causes of this bladder fullness sensation is largely the same for both males and females, there are some conditions which are specific to each gender that results in this abnormal feeling.
Abnormal Bladder Fullness Sensation
There are several ways that an abnormal bladder sensation arises.
- The bladder does not empty fully or at all in which case the sensation cannot truly be considered abnormal.
- The bladder wall is irritated and causes abnormal sensations of bladder fullness despite the bladder being empty.
- External pressure on the bladder wall from surrounding organs.
Less commonly, problems with the nerves that carry impulses from the bladder may be responsible for an abnormal full bladder sensation.
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How Does Bladder Pain Syndrome Affect Pregnancy
Some women find that their bladder pain symptoms get better during pregnancy. Others find their symptoms get worse. During pregnancy, you need to urinate more often and are at higher risk for urinary tract infections and constipation. This can make symptoms worse for some women. Make sure you drink plenty of fluids, especially water.
If you are thinking about becoming pregnant, talk to your doctor about your bladder pain syndrome and any medicines you might be taking. Some medicines and treatments are not safe to use during pregnancy.
What Is Oab And Who Gets It Your Browser Does Not Support Html5 Audio Playback You May Download The Audio File Directly Here
Overactive bladder is the name for a group of bladder symptoms. There are three main symptoms:
- A feeling that you have to go to the bathroom, urgently.
- Sometimes incontinence, which means that you leak urine with the “gotta go” feeling.
- Usually the need to go to the bathroom often , day and night.
With OAB, you feel that you need to empty your bladder even when it’s not full. This leads to the feeling that you need a bathroom quickly, right now. You can’t control or ignore this feeling. If you “gotta go” eight or more times each day and night, or fear that urine will leak out before youre ready, you may have OAB.
OAB affects about 33 million Americans. It’s not a normal part of aging. It’s a health problem that can last for a long time if it’s not treated. Many older men and women struggle with OAB symptoms. Often people don’t know about treatments that can help, or they don’t ask for help.
Stress urinary incontinence or SUI is a different bladder problem. People with SUI leak urine while sneezing, laughing or being active. It is not the same as that sudden “gotta go” feeling from OAB. To learn more about SUI, go to .
In this guide you will find clear information about how to manage OAB. Please ask for help, even if you feel embarrassed. Don’t wait, because there are several treatments that work well for OAB. Your health care provider should be trained to talk with you and help you manage your symptoms without embarrassment.
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How Oab Can Affect Your Life Your Browser Does Not Support Html5 Audio Playback You May Download The Audio File Directly Here
Without treatment, OAB symptoms are uncomfortable. It can be hard to get through the day without many visits to the bathroom. OAB can impact relationships. You may not want to do things you enjoy because you worry about finding a bathroom in time. It can disrupt your sleep and sex life. It can leave you tired and short-tempered, or leaks can lead to a rash or infections. The whole experience can make anyone feel hopeless and very unhappy.
The good news is that OAB can be controlled. There are treatments available to help.
I stopped running, I stopped taking walks. Basically, I stopped doing things that didn’t allow me immediate access to a bathroom. I was so embarrassed that I didn’t talk to anyone about it for a long time. That was a mistake.
Your browser does not support HTML5 audio playback. You may download the audio file directly here Who gets OAB?
- Both men and women can get OAB.
- Older women who have gone through menopause and men who have had prostate problems are more likely to get OAB.
- Growing older is a factor, but not all people get OAB as they age. It’s not a normal part of aging.
- People with diseases that affect the brain or spinal cord such as stroke and multiple sclerosis are more likely to get OAB.
Once your doctor understands the problem, he or she can tell you about treatment options. There’s no single treatment that’s right for everyone.You may try one treatment, or a few at the same time.