Summary: Roughly 30 million Americans have an overactive bladder, and 40 percent are women. Are you one of them?An overactive bladder can be an embarrassing issue to bring up with your friends, family and even your doctor. However, when you're rushing to use the bathroom eight or more times a day, and more than twice in the middle of the night, it's time to break the silence and discuss treatment options. Overactive bladder occurs when abnormal nerves send signals to your bladder at the wrong time, causing its muscles to squeeze without warning. An overactive bladder isn't as uncommon as previously thought. Roughly 30 million Americans have an overactive bladder, and 40 percent of them are women. Not only is it an annoyance to constantly feel like you're going to wet your pants, but having an overactive bladder can cause pain in your low back and side, fever, nausea, and generally just interfere with your lifestyle. Unfortunately, some of the medication treatment options also have undesirable side effects. There are, however, exciting new developments in treatment that may truly make a significant improvement. Associate professor and division and fellowship director of Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery, Dr. Elizabeth Mueller, MD, MSME, breaks the silence of overactive bladder and discusses treatment options available.
