Tuesday, March 26, 2024

What Can Cause An Overactive Bladder

Must Read

What Medications Can Irritate The Bladder

What causes overactive bladder and what can be done about it?

In addition to high blood pressure drugs, heart medications, diuretics, muscle relaxants, antihistamines, sedatives, and antidepressants, there are also drugs that may contribute to bladder control problems. It is important to talk to your doctor if you experience difficulty urinating or incontinence while taking these drugs.

What Are The Causes Of Overactive Bladder

In many cases, the cause of OAB is not easily identifiable. OAB symptoms are more common as one gets older, but should not be considered an untreatable consequence of aging. Also, OAB can occur in young women as well. Some women will experience OAB after childbirth or pelvic surgery. Certain neurological conditions can cause OAB symptoms including multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, and spinal cord injury.

Causes Of Stress Incontinence

Stress incontinence is when the pressure inside your bladder as it fills with urine becomes greater than the strength of your urethra to stay closed. Your urethra is the tube that urine passes through to leave the body.

Any sudden extra pressure on your bladder, such as laughing or sneezing, can cause urine to leak out of your urethra if you have stress incontinence.

Your urethra may not be able to stay closed if the muscles in your pelvis are weak or damaged, or if your urethral sphincter the ring of muscle that keeps the urethra closed is damaged.

Problems with these muscles may be caused by:

  • damage during childbirth particularly if your baby was born vaginally, rather than by caesarean section
  • increased pressure on your tummy for example, because you are pregnant or obese
  • damage to the bladder or nearby area during surgery such as the removal of the womb , or removal of the prostate gland
  • neurological conditions that affect the brain and spinal cord, such as Parkinson’s disease or multiple sclerosis
  • certain connective tissue disorders such as Ehlers-Danlos syndrome
  • certain medicines

Recommended Reading: Difference Uti And Bladder Infection

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.

Treatment Of Overactive Bladder

What causes an overactive bladder and what you can do to ...

Overactive bladder is a chronic medical condition that requires continuous treatments. There are several treatment options to treat overactive bladder. Nonetheless, the selected treatment option is primarily determined by patients symptoms, disease severity and complications as well as underlying conditions. Treatments include:

You May Like: Why Can I Not Control My Bladder

How Can Nerve Stimulation Help Overactive Bladder

There are several treatments that involve stimulating your nerves to help improve overactive bladder. Your nerves help communicate the message that your bladder needs to be emptied to your brain. By treating the nerves, your healthcare provider can improve your bladder control. Nerve stimulation is a reversible treatment that is considered when conservative treatments have not worked or have not been tolerated. Conservative treatments include behavioral therapies and medications.

There are several types of nerve stimulation treatments. These can include:

How Do U Treat Overactive Bladder Syndrome

How do u treat overactive bladder syndrome? Medications that relax the bladder can be helpful for relieving symptoms of overactive bladder and reducing episodes of urge incontinence. These drugs include: Tolterodine Oxybutynin, which can be taken as a pill or used as a skin patch or gel

How do I get rid of overactive bladder fast? Theres no cure for OAB, but the good news is that there are effective ways to manage it. These include behavioral treatments, lifestyle changes, medications, and sometimes surgery. OAB can happen for several reasons. Sometimes treating the underlying cause of your OAB can help your symptoms.

Can an overactive bladder be cured? Overactive bladder describes a combination of symptoms that can include a frequent urge to urinate and waking up at night to urinate. Causes can include weak muscles, nerve damage, use of medications, alcohol or caffeine, infection, and being overweight. Lifestyle changes may help.

What is the main cause of overactive bladder? Urgency is the key symptom in diagnosing OAB and it is closely associated with frequent daytime desire to urinate, nocturia, and incontinence. Nocturia is reported as the most bothersome symptom .

Also Check: Chronic Bladder Infection In Men

Causes Of Urinary Incontinence

Incontinence can happen for many reasons. For example, urinary tract infections, vaginal infection or irritation, constipation. Some medicines can cause bladder control problems that last a short time. When incontinence lasts longer, it may be due to:

  • Weak bladder muscles
  • Overactive bladder muscles
  • Weak pelvic floor muscles
  • Damage to nerves that control the bladder from diseases such as multiple sclerosis, diabetes, or Parkinsons disease
  • Blockage from an enlarged prostate in men
  • Diseases such as arthritis that may make it difficult to get to the bathroom in time
  • Pelvic organ prolapse, which is when pelvic organs shift out of their normal place into the vagina. When pelvic organs are out of place, the bladder and urethra are not able to work normally, which may cause urine to leak.

Most incontinence in men is related to the prostate gland. Male incontinence may be caused by:

  • Prostatitisa painful inflammation of the prostate gland
  • Injury, or damage to nerves or muscles from surgery
  • An enlarged prostate gland, which can lead to Benign Prostate Hyperplasia , a condition where the prostate grows as men age.

Get To Know Overactive Bladder

Traveling and 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.

Don’t Miss: How To Get A Healthy Bladder

Symptoms Can Affect Many Aspects Of Daily Life

Overactive bladder , with or without incontinence, afflictsmillions of people worldwide. The sudden urge to urinate, frequenturination, and urine leakage are symptoms that negatively affect apersons quality of life. More common in women and with increasing age,OAB may be due to a variety of conditions, including bladder infection,bladder stones, obstructed urine flow, bladder cancer, and neurologicdisorders such as stroke, spinal cord injury, and multiple sclerosis. Inmen, an enlarged prostate may affect bladder emptying. Often, OAB hasno identifiable cause.

Overactive Bladder Vs Uti Treatments

Treatments vary by condition and how much the condition is currently impacting the individuals health and well-being. Compared to OAB, the treatment for a UTI is simple and straightforward. In most situations, antibiotic treatment is enough to leave the person feeling better in just a few days.

OAB is slightly more complicated, with a range of treatment options.

Behavioral interventions: a number of lifestyle changes like exercising the pelvic floor, working to maintain a healthy weight, scheduling visits to the bathroom, catheterization and training the bladder.

Medications: various medications are used for OAB. Be sure to check with your doctor for options.

Injections: Botox, a drug most recognized for smoothing facial lines, is used to paralyze muscles around the bladder.

Nerve stimulation: by stimulating the nerves around the bladder, this process can regulate messages sent to the bladder.

Surgery: for people with severe symptoms, surgery can enlarge the bladder or remove it completely.

OAB and UTIs are two medical conditions that share some symptoms, which may confuse diagnosis and treatment. For the best outcome, anyone questioning their health should consult with a trusted physician to understand the source of their frequent urination.

Don’t Miss: Best Supplements For Bladder Infection

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.

Is Bedwetting Related To Overactive Bladder In Children

What Are the Causes of Overactive Bladder?

Yes. Some of the same conditions or circumstances that increase the likelihood of nighttime incontinence may — in combination with infrequent urination — result in incontinence during the day. These conditions and circumstances include pressure from a hard bowel movement or other causes listed above.

Another cause of nighttime incontinence is related to the antidiuretic hormone , which the body produces to slow urine production. Children tend to produce more ADH at night, so there is less need to urinate. If the body does not produce enough ADH, the production of urine may not slow and the bladder may overfill, leading to bedwetting.

Some other potential causes of bedwetting include:

  • Family history
  • Stress and life changes like a new sibling, changes in living circumstances
  • Sleep disruptions
  • Type 1 Diabetes- also causes increase thirst and urination

Also Check: What Is Aggressive Bladder Cancer

Can Thyroid Problems Cause Urinary Problems

Those with urinary problems may need to be checked for Graves, too.

From perspective of an urologist, thyroid disease is an important cause of urological symptoms in men and women.

Graves disease in particular can present early on with urinary symptoms such as frequent urination and slow urine stream,Dr..

Keeping A Bladder Diary May Help Identify Triggers

Keeping a diary may sound time consuming, but it will help both you and your doctor identify any triggers for your overactive bladder and establish just how often you visit the bathroom each day.

How should you keep a diary for your overactive bladder?

  • Document exactly what kind of fluids you drink and their volume.
  • Write down the type and quantity of food you eat.
  • Record the number of trips to the bathroom and rate your trips as successful or not.
  • Indicate what you were doing when leakage or the urge to urinate occurred

Don’t Miss: Can Stress Cause Overactive Bladder

Getting Help For Overactive Bladder

The first step in treatment is to ask for help. It may feel funny talking to your doctor about something as private as urinary issues, but rest assured that your doctor is a professional and is here to help. Be prepared before your appointment by keeping a bladder diary for a few days. This will help your doctor see the extent of your problem, and may help him or her to see any triggers that may be causing your urinary urgency issues.

Be prepared to have a thorough discussion with your doctor about your overactive bladder symptoms, as well as any other symptoms you may be experiencing. You should also let you doctor know if you suffer from any other conditions, such as diabetes, and provide a list of medications youre currently taking, which may be contributing to your symptoms.

Making a list of questions beforehand is also a great idea to ensure that you dont forget anything during your appointment. You may want to ask your doctor about different treatment options that he thinks may be a good fit for you, or about any options youve read about that youre interested in trying. Make sure you find out about the potential side effects for any treatment your doctor proposes, as well as what you can expect in terms of a success rate.

What Is An Overactive Bladder

Overactive Bladder | Causes, Symptoms and Triggers AMITA Health

An overactive bladder is a condition resulting from the sudden, involuntary contraction of the muscle in the wall of the bladder.

An overactive bladder causes an uncontrollable and unstoppable urge to pass urine and the frequent need to urinate both during the daytime and night, even though the bladder may only contain a small amount of urine. It is sometimes referred to as small bladder syndrome.

The condition affects around 15% of adults , with women affected more frequently than men. The incidence also increases as you get older.

Don’t Miss: Home Remedies For Bladder Cancer

What Do We Mean By Small Bladder

Firstly, lets clear up the confusion between having a small bladder and an overactive bladder. Anatomically, its highly unlikely anyone has a small bladder. Our internal organs dont tend to differ from one person to the next.

However, it is possible to have a functionally small bladder, which means your bladder, for any number of reasons, cant hold a lot of urine. Bladder muscles and/or the bladder sphincter muscles become overactive and as a result there is a constant need to void.

Thats why when some people say they have a small bladder, what theyre really suggesting is they have an overactive bladder.

Precautions And Proper Diagnosis

The main symptoms of OAB can also occur in other health conditions like bladder cancer, urinary tract infection and enlarged prostate. Seeing blood in your urine is not a symptom of OAB.

A sudden and frequent need to urinate is common in both OAB and a UTI. How can you tell the difference between these two urinary health issues? Unlike OAB, a UTI also comes with other symptoms such as discomfort while urinating. In addition, OAB symptoms are continuous while UTI symptoms are sudden and may also include a fever.

Overflow incontinence is characterized by the involuntary release of urine from an overfull urinary bladder, often in the absence of any urge to urinate. This condition is not associated with OAB. It typically occurs in people who have a blockage of the bladder outlet, which can occur with benign prostatic hyperplasia, prostate cancer or a narrowing of the urethra. Overflow incontinence can also occur when the muscle responsible for removing urine from the bladder is too weak to empty the bladder in a normal way.

It is very important to see a doctor to ensure a proper diagnosis if you experience any changes in your urine and/or urination habits.

Also Check: Cramping In Bladder Or Uterus

Can Overactive Bladder Be Prevented Or Avoided

Overactive bladder cannot be prevented. However, you can reduce the risk of overactive bladder by treating those diseases and conditions that cause it. For example, following your doctors treatment advice for diabetes will reduce nerve damage. If you are pregnant, talk to your doctor about the potential for bladder damage if you have a vaginal delivery.

Can 1 Drink Cause Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

Overactive Bladder

dont realize that drinking one or two drinks can interfere with fetal development. One research study has shown that after 1-2 glasses of wine, fetal breathing is almost completely suppressed, which can be a sign of fetal distress. Figure 5.13 Even 1 or 2 drinks of alcohol can cause damage to the fetal brain.

Also Check: Bladder Problems After Gastric Bypass

What Causes Overactive Bladder

An overactive bladder can be caused by several things, or even a combination of causes. Some possible causes can include:

  • Weak pelvic muscles: Pregnancy and childbirth can cause your pelvic muscles to stretch and weaken. This can cause the bladder to sag out of its normal position. All of these factors can cause leakage.
  • Nerve damage: Sometimes signals are sent to the brain and bladder to empty at the wrong time. Trauma and diseases can cause this to happen. These can include:
  • Pelvic or back surgery.
  • Stroke.
  • Medications, alcohol and caffeine: All of these products can dull the nerves, which affects the signal to the brain. This could result in bladder overflow. Diuretics and caffeine can cause your bladder to fill rapidly and possibly leak.
  • Infection: An infection, like a urinary tract infection , can irritate the bladder nerves and cause the bladder to squeeze without warning.
  • Excess weight: Being overweight places extra pressure on your bladder. This can lead to urge incontinence.
  • Estrogen deficiency after menopause: This hormonal change could contribute to a loss of urine due to urgency. Ask your doctor if vaginal-only estrogen therapy is right for you. This is different from systemic hormone therapy, which is absorbed throughout the body.
  • Often, there may be no specific explanation for why this is occurring.

    Incontinence And Alzheimers Disease

    People in the later stages of Alzheimers disease often have problems with urinary incontinence. This can be a result of not realizing they need to urinate, forgetting to go to the bathroom, or not being able to find the toilet. To minimize the chance of accidents, the caregiver can:

    • Avoid giving drinks like caffeinated coffee, tea, and sodas, which may increase urination. But dont limit water.
    • Keep pathways clear and the bathroom clutter-free, with a light on at all times.
    • Make sure you provide regular bathroom breaks.
    • Supply underwear that is easy to get on and off.
    • Use absorbent underclothes for trips away from home.

    For more ways to deal with incontinence and other common medical problems in someone with Alzheimers, visit Alzheimers Disease: Common Medical Problems.

    Also Check: Over The Counter Bladder Numbing Medicine

    More articles

    Popular Articles