Who Does Overactive Bladder Affect
Overactive bladder is most common in people 65 and older. Women may have OAB at a younger age, usually around 45.
How common is overactive bladder?
Overactive bladder is common. It affects up to 33 million adults in the U.S., including as many as 30% of men and 40% of women. However, that number may be higher because many people may feel embarrassed and wont get help.
How does overactive bladder affect my body?
Overactive bladder symptoms can cause stress and affect your quality of life.
Overactive Bladder Treatment Options
Research indicates that most people believe the symptoms of an overactive bladder are an inevitable and normal part of growing older, rather than a treatable medical problem. This couldnt be further from the truth.
In fact, fewer than half of individuals with incontinence actually consult a healthcare provider about their problem. This is unfortunate, since there are many treatments available to combat symptoms of OAB.
Even though it may feel embarrassing to talk about your condition, its important to talk to your doctor about your incontinence symptoms. Watch our short film below about the importance of speaking up about bladder leakage.
NAFC is excited to debut a short film about coming to terms with overactive bladder and incontinence. About just how challenging it can be to admit that theres a problem. And also about how facing up to that reality can be an important first step towards drier days. Watch this short video about OAB, and about how not speaking up can create more problems than staying silent.
Cinnamon For Continuous Urination
Cinnamon is one of the best natural medicine for frequent urination caused by urinary tract infection and vaginitis. It can kill fungus, bacteria, germs, and parasites. Thus, it also reduces the problems of excessive discharge, improper menstrual cycle, and bad vaginal odor.
How To Stop Frequent Urination Feeling With Cinnamon?
You should drink cinnamon tea regularly to avoid over urination in the first hand by keeping your system clean from infections. Otherwise, if you have already developed the problem of frequent urination, you can make a cinnamon paste for instant relief from repeated urination.
Required Ingredients
Steps To Make And Apply Cinnamon Paste To Cure Burning Sensation After Urination
- Take 1 tsp cinnamon powder and ? tsp colorless henna in a bowl
- Add cold distilled water in the bowl and stir until you get the desired semi-liquid consistency
- Refrigerate the mixture for 15 minutes
- In the meantime, massage your pelvic area and vulva with warm cinnamon oil
- Apply the cold paste directly over the freshly massaged surface
- Wash with clean water and apply every alternate day for 2 weeks to get rid of frequent urination feeling
Why It Works?
Cinnamon is anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, and analgesic. It is rich in vitamin C, E, K, and riboflavin. Thus, it can treat all kinds of infections like UTI and vaginitis. On the other hand, colorless henna is a cooling agent that reduces burning sensation after urination.
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Control Your Urge To Urinate
You may be able to control, or suppress, the strong urge to urinate, which is called urge or urgency suppression. With this type of bladder training, you can worry less about finding a bathroom in a hurry. Some people distract themselves to take their minds off needing to urinate. Other people find that long, relaxing breaths or holding still can help. Doing pelvic floor exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor also can help control the urge to urinate. Quick, strong squeezes of the pelvic floor muscles can help suppress urgency when it occurs, which may help you get to the toilet before you leak.
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When To See A Health Care Provider And What To Expect
Talk to your health care provider if you have urinary incontinence or any signs of a bladder problem, such as:
- Needing to urinate more frequently or suddenly
- Urinating eight or more times in one day
- Passing only small amounts of urine after strong urges to urinate
- Trouble starting or having a weak stream while urinating
Your doctor may recommend urodynamic testing and perform the following to try to figure out what might be causing your bladder problem:
- Give you a physical exam and take your medical history.
- Ask about your symptoms and the medications you take.
- Take urine and blood samples.
- Examine the inside of your bladder using a cystoscope a long, thin tube that slides up into the bladder through the urethra. This is usually done by a urinary specialist.
- Fill the bladder with warm fluid and use a cystoscope to check how much fluid your bladder can hold before leaking.
- Order or perform a bladder ultrasound to see if you are fully emptying your bladder with each void.
- Ask you to keep a daily diary of when you urinate and when you leak urine. Your primary care doctor may also send you to a urologist, a doctor who specializes in urinary tract problems.
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Drink Plenty Of Water
Drink 6 to 8 glasses of fluid a day unless your doctor advises you otherwise.
Many people with urinary incontinence avoid drinking fluids, as they feel it causes more problems. However, limiting your fluid intake makes incontinence worse, because it reduces your bladder’s capacity.
Not drinking enough fluid can also cause constipation or make it worse.
Find out which are the healthiest drinks.
Urinary Urgency In Middle Of Sexual Act: How To Deal With It
Dr Sarita Naik
Dr Sarita Naik is a superspecialist urogynaceologist & vaginal surgeon in Mumbai. She earned her MBBS with a gold medal in 2003 from Maulana Azad Medical College, Delhi University. She was awarded her post graduate degree in Obstetrics and Gynaecology from Delhi University in 2006. She gained an extensive experience in urogynaceology from KK women’s hospital, Singapore from 2008-2013. She is also an esteemed member of Royal College of Obstetrics & Gynaceology, UK since 2010.Her main area of interest is to help women with their unspoken problems regarding menopause, urinary and sexual health . Her expertise lies in treating urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse and sexual dysfunction in women.Currently she is the director of UGLC: Urogynaceology & Gynaec Laparoscopy Clinic in Mumbai .She is attached to premium institutes like Hinduja Hospital,Wockhardt Hospital,Surya Hospital and Cloud Nine Hospital Mumbai. LESS… MORE
-Patient
Answer: Urinary urge during the act of intimacy can happen because of various reasons and it can affect the quality of the intimate act. If it happens many times, it may cause male partner to loose erection due to disruption of the act. At the same time female partner struggles with the uncomfortable urge in the middle of the foreplay or after penetration.
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Waking Up During The Night To Pee
Waking up at night to pee more than once is considered frequent nighttime urination also called nocturia and it can happen with or without frequent daytime urination. Even though peeing more than one time per night becomes common as we age, its important to determine the cause so you and your doctor can identify the best treatment.
Bladder And Bowel Dysfunction
Patients often complain of urinary urgency, frequency, hesitancy, and incontinence. Incontinence can occur in the setting of a tonically contracted bladder that is incapable of filling completely or with a denervated distended bladder that overflows. It is often not possible to determine the nature of bladder dysfunction by history. Measurement of the volume of postvoiding residual urine, either by catheterization, by ultrasound, or by urodynamic studies, is essential for distinguishing between a spastic and denervated bladder. Bladder dyssynergia, an impairment of sphincter and detrusor coordination, is also a cause of hesitancy and incomplete voiding. Patients with urinary retention are susceptible to urinary tract infections, and such infections may trigger MS relapses by stimulating the immune system.
Bowel dysfunction is common in MS and is presumably caused by spinal cord plaques. Chronic constipation can worsen spasticity. Incontinence occurs either as a consequence of sphincter dysfunction or from bowel spasticity and fecal urgency.
Philip Buttaravoli MD FACEP, Stephen M. Leffler MD FACEP, in, 2012
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Eating To Reduce Constipation
Sometimes constipation can place extra pressure on your bladder. You can prevent constipation by exercising regularly and including more fiber in your diet. Foods high in fiber include beans, whole-wheat breads, fruits, and vegetables.
The Cleveland Clinic recommends eating 2 tablespoons of a mixture of 1 cup of applesauce, 1 cup unprocessed wheat bran, and 3/4 cup of prune juice every morning to promote bowel regularity.
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.
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Diagnosing The Cause Of Frequent Urination
If urinary frequency interferes with your lifestyle or is accompanied by other symptoms such as fever, back or side pain, vomiting, chills, increased appetite or thirst, fatigue, bloody or cloudy urine, or a discharge from the or , it’s important to see your doctor.
To diagnose the cause of frequent urination, your doctor will perform a physical exam and take a medical history, asking questions such as the following:
- Are you taking any medications?
- Are you experiencing other symptoms?
- Do you have the problem only during the day or also at night?
- Are you drinking more than usual?
- Is your urine darker or lighter than usual?
- Do you drink alcohol or caffeinated beverages?
Depending on the findings of the physical exam and medical history, your doctor may order tests, including:
Blood Tests. Routine blood test can check for kidney function, electrolytes, and blood sugars
Urinalysis. The microscopic examination of urine that also involves a number of tests to detect and measure various compounds that pass through the urine.
Cystometry. A test that measures the pressure inside of the bladder to see how well the bladder is working cystometry is done to determine if a muscle or nerve problem may be causing problems with how well the bladder holds or releases urine. Thereâs a broader term called urodynamics that includes tests such as cystometry, uroflowmetry, urethral pressure and others.
How Soon After Treatment Will I Feel Better
Pelvic floor exercises and changes to your lifestyle may take six to eight weeks before you start to see results.
Many medications start to relax your bladder muscles after a few hours. But they may take up to a month to work fully.
Botox should start to work after one to two weeks.
Most people start to see improvement after six nerve stimulation treatments. However, it may take up to 12 treatments to see results.
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Drink Unsweetened Cranberry Juice
One of the most well-known UTI treatments is cranberry juice. Polyphenols are a type of antioxidant found in cranberry juice. They contain antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, which can help treat and prevent infections.
Studies show that cranberry juice can help relieve UTI symptoms, as well as reduce how often you get them.
What Is The Link
During perimenopause, a persons hormone levels begin to change. Before this, high levels of the hormone estrogen help keep the muscles around the bladder and pelvic organs strong. After menopause, the ovaries make very low levels of estrogen, and this dramatic drop can weaken the bladder and the urethra.
According to the North American Menopause Society, low estrogen levels can cause the urethral and vaginal tissues to thin, and pelvic floor muscles can relax as a side effect of aging. This can lead to a person experiencing OAB and urinary incontinence.
Hormone changes can also lead to urinary tract infections , which can cause similar symptoms to OAB. People should always consult a healthcare professional when they experience any new urinary symptoms.
Office on Womens Health , multiple treatments are available for OAB, such as:
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Health Conditions That Cause Urinary Urgency
Common causes of urgent urination include:
- Drinking an unusually high amount of liquid
- Drinking caffeinated or alcoholic beverages
- Increased appetite or thirst
- Abnormal vaginal discharge
If urinary urgency persists and becomes more frequent, we recommend seeing a womens health specialist. Your healthcare provider will likely order diagnostic tests to determine the cause of the urinary urgency.
Urgency And Urge Incontinence Treatment
Your treatment for urgency or urge incontinence will depend on the severity of your symptoms. Your GP or Healthcare Practitioner may first suggest some conservative methods which can help to control some of your symptoms. If these methods arent effective, then there are medications available to help relieve the spasms and contractions felt in the bladder. As a last resort, if your symptoms are very severe and is affecting your quality of life, you may be offered a surgical treatment. Your GP will be able to advise you on the best route of treatment for you.
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Treatment For Frequent Urination
Treatment for frequent urination will address the underlying problem that is causing it. For example, if diabetes is the cause, treatment will involve keeping blood sugar levels under control.
The treatment for overactive bladder should begin with behavioral therapies, such as:
- Bladder retraining. This involves increasing the intervals between using the bathroom over the course of about 12 weeks. This helps retrain your bladder to hold urine longer and to urinate less frequently.
- Diet modification. You should avoid any food that appears to irritate your bladder or acts as a diuretic. These may include caffeine, alcohol, carbonated drinks, tomato-based products, chocolate, artificial sweeteners, and spicy foods. It’s also important to eat high-fiber foods, because constipation may worsen the symptoms of overactive bladder syndrome.
- Monitoring fluid food intake. You should drink enough to prevent constipation and over-concentration of urine. Avoid drinking just before bedtime, which can lead to nighttime urination.
- Kegel exercises. These exercises help strengthen the muscles around the bladder and urethra to improve bladder control and reduce urinary urgency and frequency. Exercising pelvic muscles for five minutes three times a day can make a difference in bladder control.
- Biofeedback. This technique can help you learn how your pelvic muscles work to help you better control them.
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What Are Kegel Exercises
Kegel exercises, also called Kegels or pelvic floor muscle training, are exercises for your pelvic floor muscles to help prevent or reduce stress urinary incontinence. Your pelvic floor muscles support your uterus, bladder, small intestine, and rectum.
Four in 10 women improved their symptoms after trying Kegels.9 Kegels can be done daily and may be especially helpful during pregnancy. They can help prevent the weakening of pelvic floor muscles, which often happens during pregnancy and childbirth. Your pelvic floor muscles may also weaken with age and less physical activity.
Some women have urinary symptoms because the pelvic floor muscles are always tightened. In this situation, Kegel exercises will not help your urinary symptoms and may cause more problems. Talk to your doctor or nurse about your urinary symptoms before doing Kegel exercises.
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Living With Bph: A Toolbox For Managing Urinary Symptoms
BPH progresses slowly, so most men can decide for themselves if and when they would like to consider medication or surgery. Men with mild to moderate symptoms often find that the changes in fluid intake, medication use, and bladder habits listed below can noticeably relieve BPH’s bothersome effects.
MEDICATION USE: Alter use of medications that could worsen urinary symptoms.
- Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about prescription or over-the-counter medications that may be contributing to your BPH symptoms. Antihistamines and decongestants can cause problems for some.
- If you use medications that could make you urinate more, don’t take them right before driving, traveling, attending an event, or going to bed.
- Don’t rely on ineffective dietary supplements. Saw palmetto and other herbal supplements have failed rigorous scientific testing so far.
FLUID RESTRICTION: Change how much fluid you drink and when to prevent bothersome bathroom visits.
- Don’t drink liquids before driving, traveling, or attending events where finding a bathroom quickly could be difficult.
- Avoid drinking caffeinated or alcoholic beverages after dinner or within two hours of your bedtime.
There Are Two Primary Categories Of Medications Used To Treat Urge Incontinence Including:
- Anticholinergics These medications help relax your bladder, and can be helpful for urge incontinence and overactive bladder. There are a few side effects to be aware of, including dry mouth and eyes, constipation and difficulty completely emptying your bladder.
- Beta 3 agonist This category of medications relaxes the bladder muscle and can increase the amount of urine your bladder can hold. It also may increase the amount you are able to urinate at one time instead of small amounts more frequently. This is a newer category of medications, and your insurance provider may require that you try other conservative or medication options first.
Your health care provider will help you determine which is right for you and your condition.
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