Overactive Bladder Syndrome

Overactive bladder affects men and women equally. You will be surprised to know that one in four women face this problem. If you feel the urge to pee frequently, or urgent need to urinate and you wet your pants sometimes, when you have a strong urge, then you are suffering from an overactive bladder.

Normally the detrusor muscle contracts and relaxes in response to the volume of urine in the bladder. But overactive bladder is due to the malfunctioning of detrusor muscle. Nerve damage due to abdominal or pelvic trauma, bladder stones, side effects of some drugs, bladder, cancer, stroke, spinal chord injury, can damage the detrusor muscle.

Often it is thought to be a problem suffered by older people but it is not an age related problem. People of any age group can be affected. Most of the time it is curable but if left untreated it can lead to skin rashes, infection, and loss of self esteem. Instead of suffering in silence talk to your doctor and choose a treatment which suits you the best.

The treatment of this problem depends from patient to patient but generally it includes pelvic muscle strengthening, behavioral therapy and medication. Kegel exercises and vaginal weight training are meant to strengthen the pelvic muscles. Doing it regularly or few weeks can prevent urinary incontinence.

Make pelvic exercises a part of your daily routine. You can do it even while performing your daily chores like reading, watching TV etc. You can also add pelvic floor electrical stimulation with these exercises to get better results.

Some medicines are also very helpful. These medicines combined with other therapies can help in improving the condition. However, these medicines sometimes cause dry mouth and dry eyes. Doctor can ask you to bring some lifestyle changes also like- control the consumption of fluid, increase the intake of fiber and lose weight. You can even use sanitary pads to protect yourself from lot of embarrassment but incase of severe problem, surgery is also recommended. But it is done only if other treatments fail.