Overactive bladder is the name given to the problem of going to the toilet more often that seems normal. That in itself is an issue: how often is normal? There are general guidelines for this, but essentially, if you are worried that you go to the toilet too often, then it’s a problem! We would look at what you drink how often you go and how much your bladder holds to assess the health of your bladder function. We can show you how to fill in a specialised “bladder diary” which shows us how your bladder is behaving and find solutions from there.
Overactive bladder often causes a sense of urgency and many people go on to develop leakage of urine as they try and get to the toilet. We have many studies looking at his problem in both women and men. There are few studies in trans and gender diverse populations regarding how common this issue is and therefore we currently have to presume, till proven otherwise that the occurrence would be the same. For that reason, we would hope that all adults would be comfortable to attend knowing that the issue will be identified and individual solutions as per individual experience found.
What about leakage with urgency?
This type of leakage is called “urgency incontinence”. Urgency is defined as a strong desire to pass urine for fear of leakage. For some, the feeling is as though they will wet themselves but they don’t actually wet themselves. This has been shown to be more often the case in men: they have urgency and frequency just like women but it does not progress to leakage as often. (This may be because a lot of women have experienced childbirth which may predispose them to weakness if they have not done their pelvic floor exercise through life).
Importantly, leakage of urine associated with urgency is a common problem. It tends to gradually worsen over time and with aging as we lose trust and faith that the bladder will hold. We start to empty more often and go “just in case” thinking this will prevent the leakage: instead, the bladder simply gets used to emptying more often and becomes less happy to hold on.
Can it fix itself in time?
It tends not to fix itself unfortunately . However, it can take many years for it to develop.
This type of leakage may start as just small drops of leakage as you arrive at the toilet.
It may progress to more significant loss and you may have started to wear pads.
Sometimes it develops to loss without any warning. Those with an overactive bladder may notice certain “triggers” in life set the bladder off.
What are triggers?
Triggers are situations that the bladder has started to associate with going to the toilet. When you do that thing, the bladder suddenly wants to empty urgently!
Some common triggers are:
- Arriving home – “key in door syndrome”
- Running water
- Drinking certain drinks.
- Walking towards the toilet
- Cold weather
- Standing up from sitting for a while.
Is getting up at night linked to Overactive Bladder?
Getting up at night is called “nocturia”. Once again there are many reasons why we might go to the toilet at night and together we work out what it the reason in your individual situation. Overactive bladder may well make you go at night but not always. This is part of the assessment with the Physio.
There are many reasons to develop Overactive Bladder which are beyond the scope of this short blog.
If you think you have an overactive bladder, Pelvic Health Physio can help. We will help you to understand what is happening. Understanding how and why is the first step to re-gaining control.
Make contact with Caroline Bender if you need some help with this problem.
