What Is Frequent Urination
Frequent urination is the need to urinate more than you normally would. The urge can strike suddenly and cause you to lose control of your bladder. It can feel uncomfortable, like your bladder is extremely full.
Frequent urination is the primary symptom of the condition overactive bladder , and the terms are sometimes used interchangeably. Urinary tract infections are another common cause of frequent urination.
According to the Urology Care Foundation, frequent urination is when you need to go at least 8 times in a 24-hour period.
The key to treating frequent urination is addressing the underlying cause.
Can Pelvic Floor Exercises Treat Urge Incontinence
Yes, pelvic floor exercises can strengthen your muscles that support your urinary system. These exercises can improve symptoms.
Its important to target and use the correct muscles . A physical therapist who specializes in pelvic floor disorders can teach you the proper technique. This healthcare provider may use biofeedback to ensure you get the most benefit from the exercises. It can take four to six weeks to see improvements.
While some people need to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, others have spasm or excess tension in the pelvic floor muscles that can make their overactive bladder worse. In this case, you can work with a pelvic floor physical therapist on relaxing and coordinating these muscles.
Q: What Happens If The Behavioral Modifications Don’t Work
Dr. Johnson: If they’re still experiencing symptoms after making behavioral changes, then we have different medications that work on the bladder. The bladder is a muscle, and when it’s spasming, it’s giving a false sensation that you need to go to the bathroom when you really don’t. So the medications help to relax the bladder muscle.
There are two different classes of medications. The first is anticholinergic. There are multiple medications within that class. They work on the bladder muscle to relax it to allow the patient to store more urine, sleep through the night, and have their bladder be less disruptive to their overall life.
A second class of medication is newer. It’s called mirabegron, or the branded name is Myrbetriq. It also works on the bladder muscle, but it works slightly differently. We like to try both of them before we say that the person can’t take medications.
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How Do I Control Urges When Resetting My Bladder
Controlling your urges is a key step in resetting your bladder. The following strategies may help:
- Stop what youre doing and stay put. Stand quietly or sit down, if possible. Remain as still as possible. When youre still, its easier to control your urges.
- Squeeze your pelvic floor muscles quickly several times . Dont fully relax in between Kegels.
- Relax the rest of your body. Take several deep breaths to help you let go of any tension.
- Concentrate on suppressing your urge to pee.
- Wait until the urge goes away.
- Walk to the bathroom at a normal pace. Dont rush. Continue squeezing your pelvic floor muscles quickly while you walk.
Patience is important. Retraining your bladder usually takes at least six to eight weeks to see results. Talk to a healthcare provider if you have any questions or arent happy with your progress. They may prescribe medications for you to take while youre resetting your bladder to help you achieve the best outcome.
Overactive Bladder In Women
Women are more likely to report symptoms of OAB to their doctor. In fact, at least 40 percent of American women experience symptoms of overactive bladder. Many more may not report the experiences to their doctor at all.
Overactive bladder consists of a series of symptoms that cause you to need to urinate more frequently. These symptoms include
- feeling a sudden need to urinate
- not being able to control urination
- urinating at least two times every night
- urinating at least eight times every day
Its not clear what causes overactive bladder, but OAB becomes more common in women after menopause. That may be the result of estrogen deficiency. However, overactive bladder can occur at any age.
Overactive bladder is a common childhood condition, but not every accident or soiled bed is the result of OAB. Children frequently grow out of overactive bladder symptoms, but treatment can help prevent frequent urination or complications.
Symptoms of OAB in children include:
- an urgent or frequent need to urinate
- accidents or leaking urine
- urinating more than eight times in a day
- not feeling as if theyve emptied their bladder despite urinating
Symptoms of OAB become less common as children get older. With age, kids learn to properly control their bladder and recognize signals that they need to urinate. If symptoms of overactive bladder dont seem to be resolving or are getting worse, talk with your childs doctor.
Causes of OAB in children include:
- urinary tract infection
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Should I Limit The Amount Of Fluids I Drink
No. Many people with bladder pain syndrome think they should drink less to relieve pain and reduce the number of times they go to the bathroom. But you need fluids, especially water, for good health. Getting enough fluids helps keep your kidneys and bladder healthy, prevent urinary tract infections, and prevent constipation, which may make your symptoms worse.9
Electric Shock Injuries And Deaths
In 2010 in Washington state a person who had died had received burns injuries on their body that were related to receiving an electric shock. It is thought that an electrical current had traveled through their stream of urine and into their body. It is thought that the person had urinated into a roadside ditch and a live wire that was lying in the ditch gave the person an electric shock.
In 2014 in Spain a person died when they were urinating on a lamp post and they received an electric shock. It was reported that it is thought possible the person received the electric shock when an electric current traveled through the stream of urine and into the person’s body.
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Prognosis Of Overactive Bladder
Overactive bladder is a set of symptoms, not a disease in its own right. How long your OAB lasts, and whether it gets better or worse, will depend on the underlying causes.
You may be able to reduce the burden of OAB through lifestyle changes, drug treatments, or certain nonsurgical or surgical procedures.
Improving Your Chances For Obtaining Benefits
Its particularly important to see a psychologist or psychiatrist who can document the progression of your illness, because this can sometimes be the only official record of your PTSD. If you live with or frequently see family members or friends, ask them to document your behavior over time as well. Since severity is the key to determining whether or not your PTSD disorder qualifies you for benefits, tracking the frequency and nature of your symptoms can help your case.
- Keep a detailed journal, including a calendar of notes about how you feel each day
- Record any unusual activities you could not do on any given day
- Keep a detailed history of your current and past medications, as well as any side effects that you experience
- See a health care professional regularly and take the medication that he/she gives you so that he/she can support your application for benefits
- Ask your doctor or other health care professional to track the course of your symptoms and to keep a record of any evidence of fatigue, irritability, forgetfulness, unusual behavior, or other hard-to-document symptoms
- Keep records of how your illness affected you on the job.
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How Can I Reduce My Risk Of Developing Overactive Bladder
Lifestyle adjustments can help reduce your risk of developing an overactive bladder. These may include:
- Maintaining a weight thats healthy for you.
- Drinking caffeine and alcohol in moderation.
- Drinking the proper amount of fluids each day. Too many fluids can worsen your symptoms, while not drinking enough can irritate your bladder lining and increase the severity of your urges.
- Exercising regularly.
Symptomatic Overlap In Overactive Bladder And Interstitial Cystitis/painful Bladder Syndrome
- BJU International
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What Are The Types Of Urinary Incontinence
There are different types of urinary incontinence. All of them cause you to leak urine uncontrollably.
- Stress incontinence causes urine to leak because of pressure on the bladder from coughing, laughing or physical activity.
- Mixed incontinence occurs when you have both urge and stress incontinence. More than half of women with urge incontinence also have stress incontinence.
- Overflow incontinence causes you to leak urine because your bladder is too full or you cant completely empty it.
Nonsurgical And Surgical Procedures
If medication isn’t effective at treating your overactive bladder, you may be a candidate for certain procedures.
Nerve stimulation, also known as neuromodulation therapy, sends electrical impulses to nerves that connect the bladder and the brain to help them communicate more effectively.
There are two main types of nerve stimulation: percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation and sacral neuromodulation . The first involves a series of in-office treatments, while the second involves surgically implanting a bladder pacemaker.
In very rare and serious cases, surgery may be considered to enlarge the bladder or change the flow of urine.
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Get To Know Overactive Bladder
Overactive bladder causes a frequent and sudden urge to urinate that may be difficult to control. The definite causes of overactive bladder remain unknown. Overactive bladder occurs when the muscles of the bladder start to contract involuntarily even though the volume of urine in the bladder is low. These involuntary muscle contractions produce an urgent need to urinate. Symptoms include a frequent urge to urinate and waking up at night to urinate regardless of the amount of water intake. As a result, overactive bladder significantly impairs self-confidence, increases risk of depression and other psychological effects as well as induces sleep disturbance, leading to decreased quality of life. Overactive bladder has been commonly found in women than men, aged 30-40. In fact, the prevalence of overactive bladder collectively increases with age where the highest prevalence is found in people aged over 50. Several conditions may contribute to signs and symptoms of overactive bladder, including neurological disorders such as stroke, diabetes, hormonal changes during menopause in women, abnormalities in the bladder, such as tumors or bladder stones and factors that obstruct bladder outflow. Other possible risk factors may include certain medications, excessive consumption of caffeine and alcohol and declining cognitive function.
What Medications Are Used To Treat Overactive Bladder
As youre retraining your bladder, a healthcare provider may prescribe medication. Medications can help restore normal bladder function. Commonly prescribed medications for overactive bladder include:
Anticholinergic medications
Beta-3 adrenergic medication
Beta-3 adrenergic medications cause the detrusor muscles in your bladder to relax so your bladder can store more pee. A healthcare provider may prescribe:
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Evaluation Of Patients With The Oab Syndrome
There are usually no clinical signs on examination, so a careful history is essential. Table Table11 presents the questions a clinician should ask a patient presumed to have OAB. The primary care physician should take a focused history and perform a primary evaluation for urinary tract disorders, such as recurrent urinary tract infections, urinary bladder calculi, and bladder tumors. Such an evaluation is necessary to rule out general conditions and risk factors that cause incontinence such as diabetes mellitus, stroke, lumbar disc disease or spinal cord injury, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, pelvic surgery, multiple vaginal deliveries and obstetric history, immobility, dementia, and psychiatric disease.
Bladder Impairment And The Americans With Disabilities Act
The ADA does not contain a definitive list of medical conditions that constitute disabilities. Instead, the ADA defines a person with a disability as someone who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, has a record of such an impairment, or is regarded as having such an impairment. For more information about how to determine whether a person has a disability under the ADA, see How to Determine Whether a Person Has a Disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act .
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Changes In Bladder Habits Or Symptoms Of Irritation
Bladder cancer can sometimes cause changes in urination, such as:
- Having to urinate more often than usual
- Pain or burning during urination
- Feeling as if you need to go right away, even when your bladder isnt full
- Having trouble urinating or having a weak urine stream
- Having to get up to urinate many times during the night
These symptoms are more likely to be caused by a urinary tract infection , bladder stones, an overactive bladder, or an enlarged prostate . Still, its important to have them checked by a doctor so that the cause can be found and treated, if needed.
Bladder Exstrophy At Seattle Childrens
Seattle Childrens Urology Department is known worldwide for our research and skill in caring for children with this condtion and is named a Center of Excellence by the Association for the Bladder Exstrophy Community . Our goal is to help your child have good bladder control and bladder health.
For more information, contact Urology at .
If you would like an appointment, ask your childs primary care provider for a referral.
- The experts you need are here
- Surgeons, doctors and nurses who have experience with all aspects of bladder exstrophy will take care of your child.
- We are the regions only referral center for patients born with bladder exstrophy. Our surgeons are experts at repairing this condition in babies. They also are skilled at procedures children may need later in childhood.
- Based on the organs affected, your childs urologist may involve other specialists through our Reconstructive Pelvic Medicine Clinic. Your childs care team may include a gynecologist, gastroenterologist and orthopedic surgeon. Our team approach means your child gets coordinated care each step of the way from experts who know your childs full treatment plan.
- We arrange your clinic visits so your child can see all the providers they need in one day, in one place, instead of having to make separate visits.
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Complementary Alternative And Integrative Therapies And Practices
There may be steps you can take on your own to improve your bladder control, either with or without medical therapies.
Keeping a bladder diary tracking your urination as well as food and beverage intake, and other activities can help you figure out what foods or behaviors might contribute to OAB.
Changing your urination behaviors may help train your brain to send signals to urinate in a more regular way. Techniques that may be helpful include:
- Delayed voiding
- Timed urination
Its a good idea to talk with your doctor about these techniques before trying any of them.
You may also benefit from exercises that use your pelvic floor muscles, including the following:
- Kegels This exercise involves squeezing your pelvic muscles tight for a few seconds, then relaxing and repeating this for a set number of repetitions.
- Quick Flicks When you have the urge to urinate, you may be able to help control it by quickly squeezing and relaxing your pelvic muscles over and over.
Anatomy Of The Bladder And Outlet
The main organs involved in urination are the and the . The of the bladder, known as the , is innervated by fibers from the and fibers from the spinal cord. Fibers in the constitute the main afferent limb of the voiding reflex the parasympathetic fibers to the bladder that constitute the excitatory efferent limb also travel in these nerves. Part of the urethra is surrounded by the or , which is innervated by the somatic originating in the cord, in an area termed .
Smooth muscle bundles pass on either side of the urethra, and these fibers are sometimes called the , although they do not encircle the urethra. Further along the urethra is a sphincter of skeletal muscle, the sphincter of the membranous urethra . The bladder’s epithelium is termed which contains a superficial layer of dome-like cells and multiple layers of stratified cuboidal cells underneath when evacuated. When the bladder is fully distended the superficial cells become squamous and the stratification of the cuboidal cells is reduced in order to provide lateral stretching.
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Leak A Bit When You Laugh
Try strengthening your pelvic floor muscles with a Kegel exercise, a.k.a. breathe and squeeze. A clinical trial whose results were published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicinefound that older women participants who spent time employing pelvic floor muscle training were able to cut down on bladder leaks. To do: Inhale deeply through your nose. When your lungs are comfortably full, squeeze your pelvic floor muscles as you slowly exhale. Release and repeat.