Overactive bladder is a medical condition caused by involuntary contractions of muscles in the bladder. These spasms create an urgency to urinate, whether the bladder is full or not. Overactive bladder (OAB) is the name for a group of urinary symptoms. It is not a disease. It occurs because the muscles of the bladder start to contract involuntarily even when the volume of urine in your bladder is low. This involuntary contraction creates the urgent need to urinate.
The urge occurs more frequently than is considered normal. If there’s urine in the bladder, it may leak at the same time the contraction occurs (known as urge incontinence). Nearly 1 in 5 Canadians of both genders over the age of 35 have overactive bladder.
If you have an overactive bladder, you may feel embarrassed, isolate yourself, or limit your work and social life. A brief evaluation can determine whether there’s a specific cause for your overactive bladder symptoms.
Without treatment, OAB symptoms can make it hard to get through the day without many trips to the bathroom. You may not want to go out with friends or go far from home because you’re afraid of being far from a bathroom. This makes many people feel lonely and isolated.