What is Overactive Bladder?
Overactive bladder is a condition that involves sudden, involuntary contractions of the bladder creating a sudden urge to go. Overactive bladder condition is estimated to affect 1 in 11 adults in the U.S.
Normally, the bladder stores urine until it receives a message that it is full. The bladder then contracts, the sphincters responsible for closure open, and urine is released. These messages are relayed from the bladder, through the spinal cord, to the brain and back to the bladder and sphincters. Anything that disrupts communication of these messages can result in overactive bladder symptoms.
Doctors do not fully understand the causes of overactive bladder. Feelings of urgency may come in association with certain situations such as being nervous before an appointment; hearing, seeing or touching water; or arriving home and knowing a toilet is near. Bladder irritants, such as coffee can also contribute to urgency both on a physiologic and psychologic level.
Overactive Bladder Symptoms
Overactive bladder symptoms include:
Urgency
-feeling the sudden need to go even though your bladder is not full
Urge Incontinence
-involuntary loss of urine due to urgency
Frequency
-frequent trips to the bathroom
An overactive bladder may result in urge incontinence. With urge incontinence, the person receives a strong message to void, but cannot make it to the bathroom in time to avoid leaking. In many cases, a person may have both urge and stress incontinence. In this case a weakened sphincter mechanism is overcome by a sudden bladder contraction resulting in urine leakage.
Frequency is another common result of an overactive bladder. Frequency result when feelings of urgency lead to trips to the bathroom 20-30 times a day and/or getting up multiple times at night.
Treatment Options
Commonly-recommended treatments for overactive bladder include;
Behavioral therapy
-teaches urge suppression, avoidance of bladder irritants, bladder capacity improvement
Pelvic muscle strengthening
-strengthens urine holding capability and facilitates urge suppression and bladder relaxation
Medications
-prescription drugs formulated to calm bladder contractions
The Myself® Trainer solution
The Myself is a simple solution for alleviating overactive bladder symptoms without side-effects. It works by strengthening the muscles that help hold in urine and by improving control over these muscles. The Myself®
Trainer helps you perform pelvic muscle strengthening exercises easily and effectively. With increased pelvic floor strength you can improve your ability to hold in urine and reduce the potential for accidents. The Myself® Trainer also teaches you to control your pelvic floor muscles on command. This is a useful technique for suppressing the urge to go and delaying voiding when necessary.
