What is an overactive bladder?
People with an overactive bladder feel sudden and intense urges to urinate. The urge can be tough to stop and often results in an involuntary loss of urine (urinary incontinence). This condition can be very embarrassing and causes many to isolate themselves and alter their lives.
What are the causes?
Under normal bladder function, your kidneys produce the urine that drains into your bladder. As you urinate, urine passes from the bladder to the urethra, where it is expelled from the body through the urethral opening. When your bladder fills up, nerve signals are sent to your brain, triggering the urge to urinate.
As you urinate, nerve signals relax the pelvic floor muscles and the urethra’s muscles, while the muscles in the bladder simultaneously tighten and push urine out. With overactive bladder symptoms, the bladder’s muscles will contract involuntarily even when urine volume is low in the bladder. This contraction will create a sudden, urgent need to urinate.
Other contributing factors include:
- Multiple sclerosis
- Stroke or other neurological disorders
- Diabetes
- Acute urinary tract infections (UTIs)
- Tumors in the bladder
- Bladder stones
- Constipation
- Excessive consumption of alcohol or caffeine
- Declining cognitive functions
What are the symptoms?
If your bladder is overactive, you may experience:
- Urge incontinence, which involves an involuntary loss of urine immediately following an urgent need to urinate
- Sudden urges to urinate that you are unable to control
- Frequent urination (8 or more times in a 24-hour period)
- A loss of sleep, due to 2 or more trips to the bathroom in the middle of the night
Request an appointment in Austin, Texas
If you suffer from any of the symptoms listed above, request an appointment at Central Texas Urogynecology & Continence Center today. Certain treatments can help you feel like yourself again, and our staff will ensure that you receive the proper care. If you live in Austin, Texas or the surrounding areas, schedule your appointment with Dr. Antonini today. To schedule, call 512-716-0861 or fill out our site’s request appointment form.
