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Signs & Symptoms of an Overactive Bladder

Overactive bladder is a condition that is the result of sudden contractions of the bladder muscles. According to William Shiel, M.D., in an article published on MedicineNet.com, an overactive bladder is estimated to affect about 1 in every 11 adults within the U.S. and should not be considered an aspect of the normal aging process. Individuals with this condition often feel embarrassment when they go out at their sudden need to go to the bathroom over and over. Social events become difficult for them, and they may even have episodes of incontinence. The most common symptoms that are experienced with an overactive bladder are sudden urgency to urinate, increased frequency in urination, increased nighttime urination and episodes of incontinence.

  1. Urgency

    • According to the Mayo Clinic, one of the most distinguishing characteristics of overactive bladder is increased urgency in the need to urinate. For many people, this is the first indication they are having bladder problems, and they may be confused by their need to urinate over and over, even when they have just recently already gone to the bathroom. The feeling of urgency is caused by the muscle spasms in the bladder muscles, which normally make a person aware of the need to urinate.

    Frequency

    • Another common symptom of overactive bladder is increased frequency in the need to urinate, according to the Mayo Clinic. Increased frequency occurs because the muscles of the bladder are contracting more often, resulting in the feeling that the bladder needs to be emptied. However, the amount of urine may be small or may even be nonexistent with frequent urination. Abnormal frequency is considered needing to urinate more than eight times per day.

    Nighttime Urination

    • Nighttime urination may also increase as part of overactive bladder, according to the Mayo Clinic. Abnormal rates of night-time urination are more than twice per night. It is not at all unusual for a person with overactive bladder to get up five to eight times per night to urinate. This symptom is in conjunction with day-time increased frequency to urinate, over more than eight times per day.

    Incontinence

    • Another common and often embarrassing symptom of overactive bladder is incontinence, according to Shiel. Episodes of incontinence may occur when it is not possible to reach a toilet in time to urinate or even when a person begins to simply think about urinating. Incontinence is an involuntary physical response to the need to urinate and is often followed by the need to urinate again.

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