Gotta Go, Gotta Go- Strategies to go less often and make it to the bathroom
Fight the Urge.
Overactive Bladder (OAB) is a syndrome of symptoms defined as urinary urgency that cannot be delayed, along with urinary frequency (urinating more than 8 times in 24 hours), and can be associated with nocturia (urinating at night.) Some women also have urge incontinence (sudden desire to urinate along with sudden loss of urine).
The initial treatment for OAB is changes in behavior.
Bladder training: Learning to urinate on a schedule can improve how often you urinate and how bad the urge is. Urge suppression strategies include doing a Kegel exercise for 10 seconds, crossing your legs, sitting on a hard surface and distracting yourself until the urge to urinate improves.
Bladder irritant avoidance: Caffeine, citrus fruits, alcohol, tomatoes, artificial sweeteners, and spicy foods are the most irritating dietary triggers. You can take all irritants out of your diet and put back in one at a time in an elimination diet. Alternatively you can remove one irritant at a time and monitor for improvement in your symptoms.
Pelvic floor physical therapy: Working with a therapist can be extremely helpful in tailoring therapy to your specific needs.
Medications can be prescribed to treat OAB but they require regular monitoring by a physician.
Surgical procedures like Sacral Neuromodulation (Interstim® or Axonics®) is an FDA-approved treatment for OAB or Urge incontinence that has not responded to behavioral changes or medications. Injections of Botox® into the bladder can also control symptoms for an average of 9-14 months after a single 5 minute procedure for many women.
Make a change- bladder symptoms can get better for the vast majority of women!
