Overactive bladder: Overcoming the urge

Many women suffer from the “closet disorder” – overactive bladder.

“Life isn’t easy for the millions of women suffering from an overactive bladder,” said Dr. Francisco Orejuela, associate professor at Baylor College of Medicine and urogynecologist at Texas Children’s Hospital. “Overactive bladder can wreak havoc on a patient’s life by disrupting work, sleep and social outings.”

Symptoms of overactive bladder include:

• Sudden urge to urinate that is difficult to control
• Urinating more than eight times in a day
• Involuntary loss of urine
• Waking up two or more times during the night to urinate

The first priority in treating an overactive bladder is to restore the patient’s quality of life, Orejuela emphasized.

In some cases, patients may be able to change their behaviors to ease the symptoms of overactive bladder. If simple changes, such as drinking different types of fluids and performing Kegel exercises, don’t help patients return to a normal routine, more treatment options are available.

These include:

• Bladder training
• Physical therapy
• Medications
• Electrical stimulation
• Intravesical injections

If you are living with an overactive bladder, don’t be embarrassed. Contact your doctor or a Baylor specialist at 832-826-7500 to make an appointment today.

-By Julia Parsons