Bladder Health Centre
THE MAIN SIGNS OF WEAK BLADDER CONTROL ARE:
Weak bladder health and control and urine leakage is very common problem that increases with age. It affects a quarter of reproductive age women, half of post-menopausal women, and up to 75% of women in nursing homes. Male lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) affect half of men who are over 50 years old. Up to a third of young children may wet the bed, and bedwetting in teenagers is common.
- Urinating more than 8 times in 24 hours and passing small amounts (less than 200ml) at a time
- Waking more than once to urinate during the night
- Bedwetting/ Urine leakage
- Leakage when coughing, exercising or laughing
- Occasional urine leakage during sex
- Sudden and urgent need to urinate
How your bladder works
THE MAIN TYPES OF BLADDER HEALTH WEAKNESS
Stress urinary incontinence
This is more common in women, often because the pelvic floor muscles that support and hold the bladder in place are stretched during pregnancy and childbirth. Stress incontinence occurs without warning when ‘stress’ is placed on the pelvic floor and bladder muscles. This might be by coughing, laughing, jumping or sneezing and people typically pass a small amount of urine.
Overactive Bladder (OAB)
OAB (or sensitive bladder) is due to involuntary contractions of the detrusor muscle, which is a muscle within the bladder wall itself. With OAB, frequent visits to the toilet, both day and night occur, and a sudden intense urgency to urinate can lead to bladder accidents if there is no toilet nearby.
Urgency urinary incontinence
This occurs when you do have a warning that you urgently need to go to the toilet, but you just don’t reach the toilet in time. Urge incontinence affects men and women at roughly the same rate and you typically pass a significant amount of urine. It is associated with overactive bladder and can be a very stressful condition which limits lifestyle and general activity due to fear.
BLADDER WEAKNESS: SYMPTOMS AND INCONTINENCE PRODUCTS
Urinary frequency
Urinary frequency is a common problem that can impact on many aspects of day-to-day life. It can cause anxiety about social events; concern about travel and how long a bus or car trip might take; worry over where the nearest toilets are, or force unwanted interruptions to professional business meetings for the toilet. Frequency can limit social interaction.
Urox (2 capsules a day) can help support the bladder muscles and support normal frequency, so your bladder has the strength to hold when it matters most.*
Sudden Urgency and Bladder Accidents
Urgency and bladder accidents are more common as we age. 1 in 3 people experience a sudden urgent need to visit the toilet, have trouble ‘holding on’ and visit the toilet more than 8 times in 24 hours. Putting up with small, unplanned leakages when they don’t reach the toilet in time, can cause stress and constant worry about smell and urine seepage into clothing.
Just two Urox capsules a day will work to improve bladder strength and control. You may begin to see improvement in as little as 2 to 4 weeks with best results after 2 months.*
Nocturia (waking through the night)
Nocturia, or waking regularly through the night to go to the toilet, is also common and it increases with age, creating tiredness through the day. Men who experience nocturia often blame their prostate, but half the time their bladder is the main culprit. Strengthening the bladder can help to reduce exhausting nighttime accidents and toilet trips.
Prorox is our prostate and bladder formula for men, and (2 capsules a day for 1 - 3 months) can help put the control back in your bladder, so it has the strength to hold when it matters most. *
Bedwetting
Bedwetting can be embarrassing and stigmatising for children, interrupt sleep for the whole family and increase the domestic workload. There are also many bedwetting teenagers. Bedwetting, a symptom of overactive bladder, can continue into teenage years and beyond.
Bedtime Buddy™ is our formula for children (1-2 capsules a day) to improve control in the day and night to help reduce bedwetting.*
STRENGTHEN YOUR BLADDER WITH DIET AND LIFESTYLE
Simple changes to your diet and lifestyle can prevent the problem from becoming worse, especially into menopause and old age.
- Maintain a healthy weight and make exercise a daily routine
- Address constipation and eat plenty of fibre-rich foods including fruits, vegetables and whole grains
- Avoid too much tea, coffee and alcohol. These are diuretics and may irritate the bladder
- Drink around 6-8 cups of water each day, preferably spread throughout the day; do not reduce fluid intake as this may make the problem worse
- Only go to the toilet when necessary
- Maintain a healthy weight to avoid excessive pressure on the pelvic floor muscles
- Practice pelvic floor exercises known as Kegel (pelvic floor) exercises. These strengthen the muscles involved during urination
- Don’t hold on ‘just in case’. The bladder is largely muscle and can be trained. Bladder retraining helps to teach your bladder to last a little longer each time you need to visit the toilet.
- Check if they are a problem for you and then reduce foods that are known ‘bladder irritants’ such citrus, watermelon, tomato-based products.
*Schoendorfer et al. BMC-CAM, 2018. Research jointly funded by the Australian Federal Government and Seipel Group.
For relief of symptoms of medically-diagnosed overactive bladder, urinary frequency, urgency and incontinence. Always read the label, use only as directed. If symptoms persist, consult your health professional.