Overactive bladder

Most women who aren’t pregnant urinate between four and seven times a day and once at night. Routinely using the bathroom eight or more times a day and more than once at night can be a sign of overactive bladder.

If you have overactive bladder, the bladder muscles may suddenly contract, creating a strong urge to urinate, even when the bladder isn’t full. At the same time, the muscles of the urethra and pelvic floor relax to allow the passage of urine. That means you may urinate when you don’t mean to or rush to the bathroom frequently, even when you have just urinated. 

This common problem affects up to 15% of women and happens more often with age. It can be a sign of other health problems, so you should always talk to your doctor about it.

Your doctor might recommend managing your symptoms with these simple lifestyle habits.

Getting treatment can help you enjoy a more active, higher-quality life. About 80% to 90% of women who get treatment see improvement. Options include:

• Botox® injections – Block the urge to urinate and enable the bladder to hold more urine.
• Medication – Helps you extend your time between visits to the restroom.
• Pelvic floor physical therapy – Strengthens the muscles and ligaments of the pelvic floor region
• Bladder retraining – Teaches you how to use your pelvic floor muscles to prevent the urine loss using “mind over bladder” techniques.