Why Is My Bladder Always Full

What Causes An Overactive Bladder

The exact cause of an overactive bladder is a mystery. However, several factors are known to contribute to the involuntary contraction of the bladder muscle, improper bladder function, and other symptoms associated with an overactive bladder.

Some nervous system abnormalities that can cause an overactive bladder include:

• Spinal cord injury

Other causes of overactive bladder can include:

• Nerve damage or trauma caused by surgery or certain therapies
• Trauma to the pelvis or abdomen
• Urinary Tract Infection
• Bladder cancer/tumours
• Enlarged prostate

There are also several risk factors that can increase the chances of an overactive bladder. These include:

• Age the risk of overactive bladder increases as you age
• Gender women tend to be more susceptible than men because menstruation, pregnancy and menopause all lead to a rise in oestrogen levels and weaker pelvic floor muscles. For men, an enlarged prostate or damage from prostate surgery can cause an overactive bladder.
• Obesity increased weight puts additional pressure on the bladder.
• Diabetes can affect the nerves that control bladder function.
• Pregnancy causes excess pressure on the bladder.
• Spinal injury damage to the spinal cord can disrupt signals sent to the bladder, causing involuntary contract of bladder muscles.

Treatment For Frequent Urination

Treatment for frequent urination depends on the cause. Your doctor will first treat any primary disease responsible for frequent urination. If an infection is at fault, your doctor will prescribe antibiotics for getting rid of the infection.

Medications that control the muscle spasms in the bladder can help reduce urinary incontinence, or loss of bladder control.

Your doctor also may suggest doing pelvic exercises, such as Kegels or bladder retraining exercises, to help delay urination.

When To See A Gp

You should see a GP if you have persistent pelvic pain or you notice a change in your usual peeing pattern.

These symptoms can have a number of causes, so it’s a good idea to get a proper diagnosis.

The GP can refer you to a hospital specialist like a urologist, a specialist in conditions affecting the urinary system, for further tests, such as a cystoscopy. A cystoscopy is a procedure to examine the inside of the bladder.

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You Have Interstitial Cystitis

This condition is nicknamed painful bladder syndrome for a reason, Garrett Matsunaga, M.D., chief of urology at Torrance Memorial Medical Center, tells SELF. Interstitial cystitis essentially happens when your body’s wires get crossedinstead of your pelvic nerves telling your brain you need to pee when your bladder is full, your brain receives that message more often than it should, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Along with a persistent need to pee even if you’re releasing only small amounts, this condition can cause discomfort while your bladder fills up, pain in your pelvis or between your vagina and anus, and pain during sex. While interstitial cystitis isn’t curable, there are ways to try to treat it, like with physical therapy to relieve pelvic pain, bladder training , medications to relax the bladder and reduce discomfort, and more.

What Is The Latest Research On Bladder Pain Syndrome Treatment

Researchers continue to search for new ways to treat bladder pain. Some current studies focus on:

• New medicines to treat bladder pain
• Meditation as a way to control bladder pain
• The role of genetics in bladder pain
• Acupuncture treatment

To learn more about current bladder pain treatment studies, visit ClinicalTrials.gov.

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What Is An Overactive Bladder

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.

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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Changes In Your Reproductive System

Bladder pain in women may also be a result of thinning vaginal skin, says Karl Luber, MD, a urogynecologist and a founder of the female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery fellowship program at UCSDKaiser Permanente in San Diego.

This is called atrophy and it’s most common when menopause deprives the tissues surrounding the vagina of estrogen, he explains. Oral estrogen doesnt help, but a vaginal estrogen cream may ease symptoms.

Talking with your doctor about bladder pain and discomfort can help determine where the problem really lies, Dr. Luber says.

RELATED: 8 Rules for a Healthy Vagina

What Does Bladder Pressure Feel Like

The most noticeable symptom of IC is pain and pressure in the bladder. The pain you experience may range from mild to severe. For some, the pressure can come and go. For others, the feeling doesnt let up.

These symptoms may lead you to think that you have a bladder infection, but IC isnt an infection at all. Its a chronic condition, which means that there isnt cure.

Other symptoms of IC include:

• pelvic pain
• pain while bladder is full and relief when its emptied
• pain during sex

Signs and symptoms vary. Some people may need to urinate up to 60 times each day. You may also experience periods of time when you have no symptoms.

Although IC isnt a UTI, getting an infection can make your symptoms worse.

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Treatments For Interstitial Cystitis

Unfortunately, there’s currently no cure for interstitial cystitis and it can be difficult to treat, although a number of treatments can be tried.

But no single treatment works for everyone, and there’s disagreement about how effective some of them are.

You may need to try several treatments to find one that works for you.

Medicines and other therapies may be used if lifestyle changes not help, and surgery may be necessary as a last resort.

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

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Other Symptoms Of A Urinary Tract Infection

Upon urinating there is a burning feeling.

Urine output only trickles or is small in volume but frequent.

If urine is collected in a clear cup it appears cloudy.

Appearance of blood in the urine .

Unusually strong smelling urine.

Having sex should not make you feel like you have to take a bathroom break.

Dr. Ingber is board-certified in Urology and Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Surgery is a Fellow of the International Society for the Study of Womens Sexual Health. The Center for Specialized Womens Health, division of Garden State Urology & Atlantic Medical Group.specializedwomenshealth.com 537-5557

Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. Shes also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.

Why Am I Feeling Bladder Fullness After Urination

The feeling of fullness even after urination can arise from several causes. There are three fundamental reasons for it:

• If the bladder is not able to completely empty urine.
• Irritation in the bladder wall.
• Pressure from organs such as uterus, intestine, etc that surround the bladder.

Below are some of the common ailments that may lead to incomplete sensation of passage of urine.

• Prostate enlargement and prostate cancer in men.
• Infection and inflammation of bladder.
• Infection in urethra.
• Damage of the nerve innervating urinary bladder. It controls bladder function.
• Injury in bladder or urethra due to instrumentation.

Bladder fullness after urination may also arise in woman due to problems in surrounding structures. It may cause pressure or irritation on the bladder.

• Malignant or benign tumor of ovary, uterus.
• Enlarged uterus in pregnancy can cause pressure on bladder.
• Prolapse of bladder, which in medical parlance is called cystocele.

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What Causes Interstitial Cystitis

The exact cause of interstitial cystitis is not clear. Unlike other types of cystitis, there’s no obvious infection in the bladder and antibiotics do not help.

In some people with the condition, the bladder is inflamed, ulcerated, scarred or stiff.

There are several theories about the possible cause of the condition.

These include:

• damage to the bladder lining, which may mean pee can irritate the bladder and surrounding muscles and nerves
• a problem with the pelvic floor muscles used to control peeing
• your immune system mistakenly attacking your bladder
• an allergic reaction

It’s also been suggested that interstitial cystitis may be a symptom of a more widespread problem, as it’s been associated with conditions such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome , irritable bowel syndrome and lupus.

Why Does My Bladder Always Remain Full

Answered by: Dr Rajesh Ahlawat | ChairmanDivision of Urology and Renal TransplantationMedanta Kidney and Urology InstituteMedanta, the Medicity

Q: I have a constant urge to urinate for a week now. My bladder always feels full. Even after passing urine, I feel full within 5-10 minutes. I have not increased my fluid intake, and have never had this before. I avoid going out, as I need to urinate frequently. This is not an issue at night, when I sleep. Please advise.

A:Increased urinary frequency would occur with increased urine output or a decreased bladder capacity. The former would happen with increased fluid intake or use of diuretics, while latter may result temporarily with bladder irritation with infections or stones, or permanently due to contraction of bladder with certain conditions like interstitial cystitis or genitourinary tuberculosis. As you are sure that you have no problem during night, things are simpler. All these conditions would bother you both during the day and night, except resulting from fluid intake and use of diuretics. Anxiety is another situation, which would give you frequency only during the waking hours. A look at the medications being used, and a voiding diary stating the time of each void, along with the volumes voided would be the first things to look at, along with routine urine examination and an ultrasound examination of the urinary tract. These would be able to differentiate most of the causes of urinary frequency.

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What Are The Treatments For An Overactive Bladder

Once tests have been done to determine the cause your overactive bladder, your doctor will suggest a solution that will alleviate your symptoms and minimise any side effects. And while the goal is obviously to find a simple, effective solution, it could be one or a combination of treatments including lifestyle changes, medications and/or surgery.

Lifestyle changes

• Bladder Training and Scheduled Voiding This method teaches the bladder to steadily hold urine over time, which can help build a tolerance to the urgency that comes with an overactive bladder.
• Double Voiding This involves urinating twice within a few minutes in between to void any residual urine in the bladder.
• Kegel exercises These are pelvic exercises to help manage urge incontinence in an overactive bladder by helping strengthen the muscles of the pelvic floor and urinary sphincter.
• Fluid and Diet Management including:
• maintaining a schedule of the timing and amount of daily fluid intake
• limiting caffeine and acidic drinks such as coffee, cranberry and citrus juices
• limiting alcohol
• eating foods high in fibre, such as flaxseed, or taking fibre supplements.

Medications

• Anticholinergics

Diabetes And Frequent Urination

There are other conditions like diabetes where you have a lot of sugar in your blood. Those people actually become dehydrated because when you have to get rid of the sugar, you have to get water out with it so those people pee a lot.

So there are a couple of things that are medical that caused frequent urination but those people are peeing in buckets and when you have to get up in the night and you get out of bed and you just pee a little bit, so that’s urge incontinence or urgency we call it. There are ways to treat it.

Now, there’s medicine to treat it but the medicines make a little difference. So they did some randomized studies where they looked at medicines that are actually, you see them advertised on the TV. They may decrease the number of urge episodes a day by one or two so you’re still left with a moderate amount.

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I’m Peeing More As I Age Am I Normal

Thirty percent of women ages 40-50 have an overactive bladder: more bathroom breaks during the day, urgent trips waking you up at night. According to womens specialist Dr. Kirtly Parker Jones, there are a few reasons for an overactive bladder, but this is normal. Find out what could be causing your frequent trips to the bathroom and how to reduce your need to go.

Today, we’re talking with Dr. Kirtly Parker Jones. She’s the expert on all things woman. Dr. Jones, the scenario is you’re 40, 50, you’re getting up there in the numbers and for whatever reason, you’re just starting to pee more. You’re starting to wake up more in the night, you’re starting to take a little more breaks during the day. What’s going on? Are you normal?

You Have Uterine Fibroids

Uterine fibroids, noncancerous growths that can grow in and on your uterus, are the most common benign tumors in women of childbearing age, per the U.S. Library of Medicine. Sometimes these tumors make their unwanted presence known by forcing you to pee all the time. This usually happens when a fibroid becomes large and presses on your bladder, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Fibroids can also cause heavy bleeding, painful periods, pain during sex, complications during pregnancy and labor, and even problems getting pregnant .

If youre experiencing symptoms you think are due to fibroids, try talking to your doctor. Theres a wealth of treatment options for the symptoms, from birth control to reduce pain and bleeding to a myomectomy to a hysterectomy and more.

Recommended Reading: Natural Remedies To Cure Bladder Infection

What Is Painful Bladder Syndrome

Painful Bladder Syndrome

Painful bladder syndrome is a condition that causes bladder pain, pressure, or discomfort. Some people feel the need to urinate frequently or rush to get to the bathroom. The symptoms range from mild to severe and can happen sometimes or all the time. PBS is not caused by an infection, but it can feel like a urinary tract infection or UTI. Painful bladder syndrome is also referred to as bladder pain syndrome and interstitial cystitis. In the past, doctors thought PBS was rare and difficult to treat. We now know that PBS affects many women and men and treatments are helpful.

What causes PBS?

No one knows for sure, but we think PBS happens when the inner lining of the bladder is not working properly. This means that nerves in the wall of the bladder become hypersensitive so the normal feeling of the bladder filling can be painful. There may also be inflammation or allergic reaction responses in the bladder. Some people report developing PBS after an injury to the bladder such as a severe bladder infection or major trauma, but this is not always the case. PBS is more common in people who have irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, or other chronic pain conditions. It is not clear why these problems happen together.

What are the symptoms of PBS?

How is PBS diagnosed?

Do I need a cystoscopy?

How is PBS treated?

Simple changes to diet or routines can help some people with bladder pain. Steps might include

Why Does Nocturia Affect Older People More Than Others

There are several reasons for this. One simple reason is that as you get older your bladder looses its elasticity. Another is that later in life you are more likely to suffer from other medical conditions which can affect the bladder. The following are some of the reasons which can cause nocturia and which are more common in older people:

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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.