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Home > Bladder > Bladder Problems > Overactive Bladder

Overactive Bladder

If you get sudden urges to go to the toilet which are difficult to ignore, you could be suffering from an overactive bladder. This is sometimes called an unstable or irritable bladder or detrusor overactivity. It means that your bladder wants to squeeze out urine, even if it not full and you are not ready.

Many common problems are caused by an overactive bladder:

A sudden urge to go to the toilet - Urgency
Some people may not get there in time so they have an accident – Urge incontinence
Needing to go to the toilet very often – more than 8 times a day – Frequency
Getting up to go to the toilet during the night – Nocturia
Wetting the bed – Nocturnal enuresis

An overactive bladder is not an inevitable part of ageing

The urgent need to use the toilet or not being able to hold on can be a real problem for millions of people of all ages in the UK. If you have an overactive bladder, you are certainly not alone. At the Bladder and Bowel Foundation we can offer support and information which will help you find the right course of treatment best suited to your individual needs; enabling you to manage your condition and improve your quality of life.

Overactive Bladder TV Campaign

Following the success of its recent pilot TV advert campaign in the West Midlands, the Bladder and Bowel Foundation is extremely pleased to announce this campaign will now be appearing across the UK on national TV. The series of TV adverts, which aim to raise awareness of overactive bladder, will start on Monday 18 May 2009 and will run for 4 weeks. This is the first campaign of its type in the UK and a breakthrough in our area of care. This campaign is sponsored by Astellas.

To see the advert and find out more information about the campaign click here.

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Last reviewed: 19 May 2009

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