Frequent Urination: Treatment, Procedure, Cost and Side Effects

An overactive bladder is a condition that is characterized by a problem in the bladder storage function; a problem that eggs one on to urinate frequently. This condition can cause problems in your social and work life. You may isolate yourself from others and feel embarrassed about the situation.

Symptoms
If you have an overactive bladder, you may exhibit symptoms of frequent urination, involuntary leakage of urine and frequent urge to urinate. These symptoms might disrupt your daily life; so it is important to seek advice from a medical practitioner.

Causes
To better understand what causes an overactive bladder, you need to know how the urination process works. Urine is produced by the kidneys, which flows to the bladder. During urination, the urine is excreted from an opening in the bladder and flows out via the urethra. As the kidneys secrete urine, the bladder starts to fill up. During this stage, nerve signals are sent to the brain; signals that trigger your body to urinate. The bladder muscles tighten that pushes the urine out of the body.

An overactive bladder results from the involuntarily contraction of the bladder, which might happen even if the content of urine in the bladder is low. These contractions create the urge to urinate. The various causes of an overactive bladder are:

1. Excessive fluid intake, if your fluid intake is high, then you may have the tendency to urinate frequently.
2. Presence of tumors or stones in the bladder can make the bladder overactive as well.
3. Excessive alcohol or caffeine consumption has the same effect as an excessive intake of fluids has.
4. Urinary tract infections may interfere with the entire process of urination, thus causing your bladder to swell up and become overactive.
5. Other diseases and conditions such as constipation and an enlarged prostate can hamper bladder functioning.

Treatment
There are multiple approaches to treat an overactive bladder; your doctor may use one or a combination of multiple methods.

1. Medications: Medications such as Trospium and Tolterodine help in relaxing the bladder. These medications help treat symptoms of frequent urination.
2. Bladder injections: Botox is a protein that is injected into the bladder that causes partial paralysis of the bladder muscles. This helps in treating the constant urge to urinate. However, its effects are temporary as they last for 6-9 months.
3. Lifestyle modifications: Certain lifestyle modifications such as incorporating exercises to strengthen the pelvic muscles, maintaining optimal weight levels and bladder training to control its functioning can help with managing an overactive bladder.
4. Surgery: If the other treatments do not produce the desired results, then surgery is usually recommended. The aim of the surgery is to enhance the storage capacity of the bladder and reduce bladder pressure. 

Bladder prolapse is a condition wherein a woman’s vaginal wall ceases to adequately support the urinary bladder. The front wall of the vagina gives support to the bladder under normal circumstances but when this wall weakens, it allows the bladder to droop and become prolapsed. This can lead to a wide range of medical problems such as urinary difficulties, stress incontinence (leakage of urine while coughing or sneezing), pain and discomfort, etc.

Prolapsed bladders are generally associated with menopause. Also known as cystoceles or fallen bladders, they are categorized into four different types depending on the extent to which the bladder has prolapsed.
Grade 1: This is the mild stage wherein a small portion of the bladder droops into the vagina.
Grade 2: This is the moderate stage in which the bladder droops far enough to reach the opening of the vagina.
Grade 3: This is when the condition becomes severe and the bladder protrudes from the body through the opening of the vagina.
Grade 4: This occurs when the bladder has completely prolapsed. The entire bladder protrudes outside the vagina and is normally associated with other forms of pelvic organ prolapse such as uterine prolapse (the sagging of the uterus from its normal spot) and rectocele (prolapse of the wall between the vagina and the rectum).

What are the causes of prolapsed bladders?
Following are the factors that lead to the condition of prolapsed bladders:

1. Menopause: The vaginal walls are known to become weak upon the onset of menopause. This occurs because the body inhibits the production of oestrogen, the hormone that renders strength to the muscles of the vagina. As a result, the bladder is no longer supported by the vagina.
2. Childbirth: The process of childbirth puts a tremendous amount of stress on the vagina and often leads to deterioration of the muscles of the vaginal wall. This in turn leads to the condition of prolapsed bladder.
3. Straining: Anything that puts strain on the walls of the vagina can lead to this condition. This includes lifting heavy objects, chronic constipation, obesity, excessive coughing and sneezing or any other factor that damages the pelvic floor.

What are the symptoms of a prolapsed bladder?
Symptoms of a prolapsed bladder vary from case to case, depending on the category and extent of the condition. Some of the most commonly experienced symptoms of the condition are as follows:
Tissue sticking out of the vagina (that may be tender and/or bleeding)

1. Frequent urge to urinate
2. Urinary incontinence (unwanted leakage of urine)
3. Pain during urination
4. Pain during sex
5. Frequent urinary tract and bladder infections
6. Pain in the vagina, pelvis, lower abdomen or lower back
7. Incomplete urination

   If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult an urologist.

Urinary incontinence is the unintentional passing of urine. It's a common problem thought to affect millions of people. There are several types of urinary incontinence, including:

1. Stress Incontinence– when urine leaks out at times when your bladder is under pressure; for example, when you cough or laugh.
2. Urge Incontinence– when urine leaks as you feel a sudden, intense urge to pass urine, or soon afterwards.
3. Overflow Incontinence (chronic urinary retention)– when you're unable to fully empty your bladder, which causes frequent leaking.
4. Total Incontinence– when your bladder can't store any urine at all, which causes you to pass urine constantly or have frequent leaking.

It's also possible to have a mixture of both stress and urge urinary incontinence.

What causes urinary incontinence in men?

Urinary incontinence in men results when the brain does not properly signal the bladder, the sphincters do not squeeze strongly enough, or both. The bladder muscle may contract too much or not enough because of a problem with the muscle itself or the nerves controlling the bladder muscle. Damage to the sphincter muscles themselves or the nerves controlling these muscles can result in poor sphincter function. These problems can range from simple to complex.

A man may have factors that increase his chances of developing UI, including

1. birth defects—problems with development of the urinary tract
2. a history of prostate cancer—surgery or radiation treatment for prostate cancer can lead to temporary or permanent UI in men

UI is not a disease. Instead, it can be a symptom of certain conditions or the result of particular events during a man’s life. Conditions or events that may increase a man’s chance of developing UI include

1. benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH)—a condition in which the prostate is enlarged yet not cancerous. In men with BPH, the enlarged prostate presses against and pinches the urethra. The bladder wall becomes thicker. Eventually, the bladder may weaken and lose the ability to empty, leaving some urine in the bladder. The narrowing of the urethra and incomplete emptying of the bladder can lead to UI.
2. chronic coughing—long-lasting coughing increases pressure on the bladder and pelvic floor muscles.
3. neurological problems—men with diseases or conditions that affect the brain and spine may have trouble controlling urination.
4. physical inactivity—decreased activity can increase a man’s weight and contribute to muscle weakness.
5. obesity—extra weight can put pressure on the bladder, causing a need to urinate before the bladder is full.
6. older age—bladder muscles can weaken over time, leading to a decrease in the bladder’s capacity to store urine.

Treating Urinary Incontinence

Initially, your GP may suggest some simple measures to see if they help improve your symptoms. These may include:

1. lifestyle changes – such as losing weight and cutting down on caffeine and alcohol
2. pelvic floor exercises – exercising your pelvic floor muscles by squeezing them, taught by a specialist 
3. bladder training – where you learn ways to wait longer between needing to urinate and passing urine, guided by a specialist
4. You may also benefit from the use of incontinence products, such as absorbent pads and handheld urinals.
5. Medication may be recommended if you're still unable to manage your symptoms.
6. Surgery may also be considered. The specific procedures suitable for you will depend on the type of incontinence you have.
7. Surgical treatments for stress incontinence, such as tape or sling procedures, are used to reduce pressure on the bladder or strengthen the muscles that control urination.
8. Operations to treat urge incontinence include enlarging the bladder or implanting a device that stimulates the nerve that controls the detrusor muscles. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult an urologist.

Polycystic kidney disease is a disorder that is inherited; it is characterized by development of cysts in the kidneys. These cysts are round sacs that contain a water like fluid. Initially, the size of the cysts are small, they tend to increase in size after the fluid accumulation. This disorder can also cause cysts to develop in the liver and other parts of the body.

Symptoms and Complications
The most common symptoms of this disorder are back pain, headache, high blood pressure and kidney failure. It can also lead to formation of stones in the kidney, presence of blood in the urine and an urge to urinate frequently. It also make your kidney prone to various bacterial infections.

Causes
The disease is caused because of the presence of defective genes in the body, implying that this disorder is primarily hereditary. In some cases, the disease is caused by a genetic mutation. Based on the causes, it is classified into two types:

1. Autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease: This disorder causes the symptoms to appear immediately after birth, although the symptoms are delayed until adolescence. This disorder only occurs when both the parents carry the defective gene which is passed to the offspring.
2. Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease: This disorder usually tends to occur only after the age of 30. Unlike the previous type, here only one parent needs to carry the defective gene that is passed on to the offspring.

Treatment
The treatment of polycystic kidney disease generally involves dealing with the following signs:

1. Pain: Chronic pain, usually in the sides of the body or the back, is a common symptom of this disorder. You can opt for pain reliving medication such as ibuprofen. If the cysts are large, then surgery is required to ease the pain.
2. High blood pressure: High blood pressure is best controlled by a following a healthy diet and lifestyle. High blood pressure can damage the kidneys severely. Medications may also be required to control blood pressure, if it rises abnormally.

Blood pressure is the measure of the resistance to the natural flow of blood in the blood vessels. The major, minor and few smaller blood vessels themselves have a thin muscular lining that keeps the vessel supple and aids the flow of nutritious blood within its tube-like structure. The vessel walls resist the free flow causing a reverse pressure that is referred to as Blood Pressure. This pressure strains the heart muscles (Left Ventricle more) to contract strongly to push the nutritious blood into the body circulation system.

Due to numerous factors, there is an increase of resistance within the blood vessels that leads to an increase in blood pressure. At a later stage, this results in lack of adequate blood flow to the end tissues and an accumulation of fluids in the various tissues/organs and a mismanagement of the nutrition-detoxification rhythmic cycle of the body. This takes a long time to develop and unless the last stage hampers body functions, it is not detected. Hence, blood pressure is known as a silent disease.

Systolic and diastolic are the two rhythms corresponding to the expansion and contraction of the heart chambers during pumping of blood into the body. This rhythm creates two distinct pressures within the blood vessels. Systolic is when the heart ventricular chamber contract to pump blood into the body, so the pressure is higher. This indicated the force or strain on the heart to push blood into the circulatory system. Hence, this count is considered significant in evaluating health parameters.

High BP as a disease is declared when three or more readings taken at different times of a day or on consecutive days shows increase in BP. Higher the BP, more strain is exerted by the heart. Since the heart is essentially a muscular organ, the muscles of the heart get affected. Sometimes, the heart muscles increase in mass and size making the heart chambers smaller in volume. This further deteriorates the circulation capability leading to numerous diseases. The strain of pumping nutrition to different body organs is also felt by the heart itself. Lack of nutrition can lead to death of cardiac tissue leading to heart failure. High blood pressure makes the heart walls thicken and becomes stiffer which makes it even more difficult to pump blood. Thickening of the heart muscles is also known as left ventricular hypertrophy and cause heart failure.

A systolic blood pressure reading that is higher than 140 mm Hg or a diastolic blood pressure higher than 90 mm Hg characterizes by high blood pressure. High blood pressure is said to be responsible for 50% of the recorded cases of ischemic strokes and also increases the risk of hemorrhagic strokes.

When heart cannot pump with enough force, there is a mismanagement in the intra-cellular and tissue fluid restoration. This puts a great strain on the kidney function. In due course of time, numerous organs of the body suffer and depending on the body constitution, immunity for rejuvenation and restoration of order, the person suffer from numerous diseases.

Diabetes worsens the situation of BP and adds to the deterioration of heart health, blood vessel health. Poor heart functioning leads to different symptoms like:

1. Shortness of breath
2. Swollen ankles or feet
3. Difficulty lying flat on your back
4. Bloating and nausea
5. Irregular pulse
6. Frequent urge to urinate at night
7. Fatigue

Due to disturbances in BP and other factors leading to lacking of nutrition to the heart tissue. Heart Disease complications are commonly seen with symptoms as follows:

Radiating or dull pain, especially in the chest, radiating in the arms, especially left arm, neck, back and in the stomach especially in women.

1. Shortness of breath; change in breathing patterns and heaviness in chest
2. Dizziness and fainting sometimes
3. Irregular pulse and palpitations
4. Sudden onset of excessive sweating
5. Unexplained fatigue, weakness and depression

Heart Disease can be treated with natural ayurvedic medicaments successfully in more than 80% of patients. Numerous ayurvedic medicines have been clinically evaluated to show positive changes supported with clinical investigation. Since ayurvedic medicines are targeted to reaching the root cause of the disturbances and to reduce the burden of the disease they go beyond the relief of symptoms.

Natural Ayurvedic medicines also participate in the rejuvenation of the heart muscles, the blood vessels, the detoxification of the body and re-balancing of health parameters, Ayurvedic treatment options are gaining great relevance and patient opt for such treatment in greater numbers from all over the world. These treatments are non-invasive and very cost effective. They are good to be taken from prevention to after angioplasty, stent or bye-pass to treat the cause of disease.

Ayurveda is a health science that takes into consideration lifestyle modifications, adequate detoxification, re-balancing body element and strengthening the system from all aspects. Ayurvedic medicines have proved useful in the treatment of Blood Pressure, Diabetes, Vascular disease (leading to atherosclerosis, blockages, wear-tear of blood vessels) and Heart disease. Today, these treatment options are gaining importance and acceptance in our society. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult an ayurveda and ask a free question.