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In support of World Continence Week, talkhealth hosted an Online Clinic for bladder issues, which ran from 4-15 June, giving our community the opportunity to get their bladder related questions answered by expert medical professionals.

Questions & Answers

Most people will suffer from a bladder related problem at some time in their life such as urinary incontinence, overactive bladder and infections. These topics were all covered in the Online Clinic with patients asking a wide range of questions – you can view some of the questions and responses below:

Wpoohema asked: I am 47 and seem to have occasional issues holding my bladder. I am menopausal & have wet the bed thinking I was dreaming it but actually wasn’t. I find it very hard to sleep anyway as constantly hot flushes & very restless.

Our expert, Mr Sachin Malde answered: Urinary incontinence can worsen around the time of the menopause and this may be why you are suffering from these symptoms right now. Do you also have difficulties holding your bladder during the day? Reducing caffeine can often help, and practising bladder training will help you gain better control of your bladder in the long-term. If your GP has checked your urine for signs of infection and this is all normal, then you could also try a medication to see if it helps and applying an oestrogen cream to the vagina may also help. Good luck!

Mayarose asked: I recently read an article that our bladder can hold up to 500ml urine so women should not go frequently to the bathroom and try to train their bladder to hold for longer time so they won’t be uncomfortable while going out. I would like to know that if this is the case then why sometimes I feel strong urge to go to loo even though I release very little amount when urinating. Have I got weak bladder?

Our expert, Mr Benjamin Challacombe answered: Although the actual bladder capacity is usually around 500mls, the functional capacity may be much less if the bladder is overly sensitive or overactive.

Needing to void small amounts is a symptom of an irritable bladder. Sometimes just being dehydrated and having concentrated urine can trigger this.

Make sure you drink plenty of water, avoid caffeine and alcohol mainly and try some bladder training drills.

Lindac01 asked: I’m continually plagued by UTI’s. If I’m lucky I will get a couple of weeks without then another one comes along and so it goes on and on. I’m at my wits end with these and was wondering what you thought.

Our expert, Mr Sachin Malde answered: Recurrent UTIs are very common, and if this has been going on for a long time then I would recommend seeing a Urologist to do some basic tests to make sure there is no underlying reason for you to keep developing infections. After this, there are a number of ways to improve things for you, including options that don’t involve you having to use so many antibiotics. I hope this helps.

With leading bladder charities taking part, such as Action Bladder Cancer UK, Bladder & Bowel UK, ERIC, Fight Bladder Cancer and The Urology Foundation, the Online Clinic was able to provide expert support and advice to those living with bladder issues. Joined by medical experts, including Advanced Nurse Practitioner, Julie Jenks, Consultant Urological Surgeon, Mr Rajesh Nair and GP, Dr Jon Rees, we saw a wide range of bladder related queries posted and answered during the Online Clinic.

You can read more questions and answers from the Online Clinic here.

You may also like to join in with the conversations on our talkbladder forum, plus there’s more support and guidance on talkbladder.

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