You’re driving in your car or sitting down to lunch with friends and the urge to urinate comes on suddenly. Depending upon the severity of the urge and where you’re located, it may lead to problems with incontinence. Called overactive bladder (OAB), the problem affects more women than you might think, including women of all ages.
As a solution-oriented practice, Dr. Fernando Otero and our team at Women’s Clinic of the Rio Grande Valley, offer a wide range of remedies for urinary incontinence that allow you to take back control of your life.
The prevalence of OAB among women of all age groups may be much higher than you thought. For starters, the Urology Care Foundation reports that up to 40% of women in the United States live with OAB symptoms. Breaking these numbers out a little bit further, studies have shown that 17% of women over the age of 18 have OAB, and its prevalence is highest among women ages 20-45, with nearly 37% reporting symptoms.
Our point in presenting these numbers is to assure you that you’re not alone. Now let’s get to the heart of the matter and discuss the causes and treatments for OAB.
An overactive bladder isn’t a standalone condition, but a group of urinary symptoms, the most common of which is a sudden and uncontrollable urge to urinate. In many cases, this urge is accompanied by accidental leakage.
Another common sign of OAB is the need to urinate throughout the day and night (more than eight times during a 24-hour period).
There are many roads to OAB, some of which are temporary, while others present ongoing problems.
The primary culprits behind OAB include:
As you can see from this list, our first order of business is to determine the cause of your OAB symptoms so that we can help you control the problem.
As we mentioned, some causes of OAB are temporary, and as soon as the underlying problem is addressed (a UTI or excessive caffeine intake), your symptoms should disappear.
If the problem stems from a condition that isn’t so easily resolved, we can treat your OAB from several different angles, including:
In severe cases that don’t respond to more conservative therapies, we might recommend a surgical solution in which we provide better support for your urethra and bladder neck and correct any abnormal bladder positioning.
Rest assured, we work with you until you’re able to better control your OAB symptoms.
To explore your solutions for an overactive bladder, contact one of our two offices in McAllen or Edinburg, Texas, to set up an appointment.
