The Impact of Urinary Urgency

The urge to pee might be inconvenient for some, but for people that are affected by urinary urgency, it can be extremely debilitating and affect their ability to live a normal life. Living with urinary urgency can negatively impact your life. Constantly having to urinate can interfere with work, school, socializing, exercise, sleep, relationships and basically anything you do. It can also have a negative affect on self esteem. This is because living with urinary urgency can often cause leaking in between bathroom breaks.

How often is too often?

It is considered normal to urinate between five to eight times during a 24 hour period. As you age, this number may slightly increase or decrease depending on your individual situation. Urinary urgency is typically considered an issue if it is impeding on your quality of life.

Frequent urination and urinary incontinence are two, very different conditions; however, you may experience both if you have certain conditions. Frequent urination describes having to use the restroom more often than normal and urinary incontinence describes a leakage of urine.

Sometimes, frequent urination can be an indicator of a more serious, underlying condition. Early identification and diagnosis of the issue, can lead to a timely and treatment in order to prevent future health complications.

What causes frequent urination?

Urination is a complex process that involves various bodily systems. A range of changes can make the urinary system more or less active. Therefore, there are many reasons why you may be experiencing frequent urination such as:

  • Uterine fibroids
  • Urinary tract infection (UTI)
  • Intersitial cystitis
  • Diabetes
  • Overactive bladder syndrome (OAB)
  • Urinary incontience
  • Sexually transmitted infection (STI)
  • Bladder or kidney stones
  • Bladder cancer

Uterine fibroids are a common, benign tumor that develops within the uterine cavity or wall. While some fibroids may stay as small as a seed and cause little to no symptoms, others may grow to be the size of an orange, causing severe, chronic pain. Depending on their size and location, uterine fibroids can enlarge the uterus, causing it to put pressure against the bladder. This pressure can compress the bladder, causing frequent urination or difficulty emptying the entire bladder. This occurs if the uterus is also putting excess pressure on the urethra as well.

If you’re living with urinary urgency and you think uterine fibroids may be the cause or just want to learn more about its’ correlating symptoms, take our symptom quiz.

Symptom Quiz

How can urinary urgency impact your life?

Having a constant urge to urinate even when your bladder is not full can be very distracting from daily activities. It may also aggravate your colleagues and acquaintances if they are not aware of your condition. When people are affected by urinary urgency, they may stop participating in the things they used to love doing and might even avoid leaving home or going certain places where they do not have easy access to a bathroom. Urinary urgency can also take a toll on romantic relationships as some people experience leaking or incontinence during sexual intercourse and orgasm.

For some, wearing extra pads or even adult diapers to help prevent leaking through clothing can be an inconvenience. Many women may not want to wear tight fitting clothing or various colors that may make it more difficult to wear protection. This can feel like a nagging thought or worry in the back of many women’s minds as they go out with family or friends.

In addition, if you’re constantly waking up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, there’s a good chance that you are probably not getting a proper amount of sleep. Lack of sleep can cause a number of health issues along with greatly affecting your energy levels throughout the day.

What Are My Next Steps?

If you are suffering from frequent urination and want to take back your life from your bladder, you should consult with your primary care physician to determine which method of treatment would be best for you. If you have other symptoms like heavy, lengthy periods, your primary physician may recommend you to see a fibroid specialist. It may also be helpful to keep a bladder diary or use an app to track the frequency and amount of times you urinate throughout the day/night, so you can accurately tell your doctor what you’re experiencing.

When you meet with a fibroid specialist, they will want to do some tests on you to determine if your urinary urgency is being cause by uterine fibroids or a different, underlying condition. An ultrasound or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be used during your diagnosis. If uterine fibroids are indeed the cause of your frequent urination, your doctor will sit down to create a personalized treatment plan that fits your individual needs.

If you’re ready to stop putting up with frequent urination and want to see if uterine fibroids could be the cause, contact us at 855.615.2555 or click the button below to schedule an initial appointment with a fibroid specialist today.

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