Overactive Bladder: How to Take Back Control

An overactive bladder is inconvenient, often embarrassing and can take a toll on your quality of life. But it is not a normal part of aging and it can be treated.

Overactive bladder is caused by sudden, involuntary contractions of the bladder muscles. Depending on what type you have, you may:

• Have to urinate often throughout the day and night
• Suddenly and frequently feel an unstoppable urge to urinate
• Leak urine or lose control of your bladder before you can get to a bathroom

These problems can get in the way of your everyday activities. But there are things you can do to help improve your symptoms.

What can you do to improve your bladder control?
There are a variety of ways you can help reduce symptoms of overactive bladder. Talk to your doctor about which of them may be right for you.

• Medication. Medicines that relax the bladder muscle help prevent the involuntary contractions (squeezing) that lead to frequent and uncontrollable urination.
• Behavioral techniques. Changes such as scheduled urination and controlling fluid intake can help you control the urge to urinate.
• Bladder retraining. These are methods to help you learn how to resist the urge to urinate and gradually increase the time between urination.
• Pelvic muscle exercises. Also called Kegel exercises, these can improve the strength of the muscles on the floor of your pelvis. These muscles surround the opening of the urethra, the tube that brings the urine out of the bladder. Strengthening these muscles may help prevent leakage.
• Electrical stimulation. This is a procedure that uses mild electrical impulses to stimulate the nerves. This can help improve muscle tone and reduce overactive bladder.
• Lifestyle changes. You can make changes in your daily life that may help you manage your condition:
• Do not smoke.
• Limit the amount of caffeine and alcohol you drink.
• Eat high-fiber foods, such as beans, whole-wheat pasta and oatmeal.
• Exercise regularly. (Talk to your doctor about how much and what kinds of activity are right for you.)
• Stay at a healthy weight. (Ask your doctor what weight is healthy for you.)

How to Do Pelvic Muscle (Kegel) Exercises: Try to do these for five minutes, three times a day. Each time, do them in a different position if you can: lying down, sitting and standing. Your bladder control should improve within 3 to 6 weeks. Find the right muscle to tighten. To do this, sit on the toilet and start urinating, and then stop the flow of urine. The muscle you use to do this is the same one you want to exercise. Tighten that muscle while you count to three. Relax the muscle while you count to three. Repeat.

If your symptoms of overactive bladder are still a problem, you may want to try:

• Absorbent protective pads that can absorb any leaking urine
• A special covering, called a condom catheter, that men can wear around the penis to collect leaking urine

Talk to your doctor about how overactive bladder affects you. Not everyone has the same symptoms or reacts to treatment in the same way. Find out what works best for you.

Related Articles Urinary Incontinence Root Causes of Urinary Incontinence

External Sources American Urological Association. Overactive bladder. Accessed October 1, 2007. National Association for Continence. Treatment options for incontinence. Accessed October 1, 2007. National Kidney Foundation. Urinary incontinence. Accessed October 1, 2007. Rakel RE. Textbook of Family Medicine. 7th edition. Philadelphia, PA: Saunders Elsevier; 2007.

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