Help for Women with Overactive Bladders

For a large number of women, always shopping at the same mall is not a matter of choice - it's a matter of knowing where the bathrooms are.

"We call it toilet mapping," said Dr. Rodney Appell, professor of urology at Baylor College of Medicine. "It's a very restricted lifestyle built around having an overactive bladder."

Overactive bladder, which affects 14 million to 16 million Americans, is more commonly seen in women. The good news is the condition can be improved, if not cured, in most cases. Treatments range from exercise and medications to surgery.

"This common condition should not be seen as part of the normal aging process. It is not a burden of womanhood. This type of thinking is what has kept a large number of women from coming forward to get treatment," Dr. Appell said.

More than 80 percent of overactive bladder patients are women and the incidence increases with age. It is one of the top reasons for nursing home admission, he said. The condition is sometimes tied to estrogen levels or medical conditions, but in at least half the cases, there is no known cause.

The symptoms increase over time, beginning with frequency of urination, followed by a tremendous urge to urinate and then incontinence - the inability to hold urine.

"The best thing is to see a doctor at the first symptoms," Dr. Appell said. "Frequency and urgency will be seen before there's any leakage."

When symptoms are in the early stages, the likelihood of minor, noninvasive treatment is improved, he said.

Dr. Appell, who specializes in female urology, said recognizing and treating overactive bladder are education issues.

"It's a matter of letting people know that there are many and very effective treatments for dealing with this condition," he said. "This is not something you have to put up with - don't just buy pads and live with it. There are many treatment options."

Dr. Appell, also the F. Brantley Scott Chair in Urology at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital, is a leading researcher in the field of incontinence. His research focuses on minimally invasive treatment options.

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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