Overactive Bladder

·       In healthy bladders, your brain signals when you need to use the restroom, but you have the capability of waiting. Overactive bladder (OAB) is when you have a sudden and urgent need to go to the bathroom. Without treatment, OAB can negatively affect your life. Talking to your health care team about your symptoms is the first step to improving your quality of life so it doesn’t revolve around finding the closest restroom.

Definition

The urinary tract is how your body removes urine from the body. In healthy bladders, your brain signals that your bladder is full, but you have the capability of waiting to use the bathroom. With overactive bladder (OAB), there’s no waiting, there’s a sudden and urgent need to go. This happens even if the bladder isn’t full. Other symptoms may include: 

·       A feeling that you have to go to the bathroom urgently 

·       The need to go to the bathroom often, day and night

·       Sometimes incontinence, which means urine leaks 

Without treatment, OAB symptoms can negatively affect your life. It can disrupt sleep, sex and cause you to feel tired and short-tempered. 30% of men and 40% of women in the U.S. are living with OAB and many don’t ask for help. There are treatments that can help, and talking to your health care provider is the first step to achieving a better quality of life.