What is overactive bladder (OAB)?

OAB is the name of a group of urinary symptoms relating to improper bladder-storage function. It involves frequent and urgent urges to urinate, with or without incontinence.1,2

OAB is characterized by:

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Urgency:
suddenly needing to
empty your bladder

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Frequency:
having to empty your bladder more than usual

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Urgency incontinence:
not being able to control
when you empty your bladder

Is OAB common?

In Canada, a survey indicated that OAB affects more than...3*

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1 in 7 men

One shaded-in female icon beside four empty female icons

1 in 5 women

* A computer-assisted telephone interview [CATI] system survey of 3,249 Canadians, 35 years of age or older, determined that OAB occurred in 18.5% of Canadians overall, with 14.7% of men and 21.3% of women.3

You are not alone. Ask your healthcare provider for more guidance on OAB symptom management.

References:

  1. The Canadian Continence Foundation. The Source: Your Guide to Better Bladder Control. 2012.
  2. Corcos J, et al. CUA guideline on adult overactive bladder. Can Urol Assoc J. 2017;11(5):E142-E173.
  3. Corcos J, et al. Prevalence of overactive bladder and incontinence in Canada. Can J Urol. 2004;11(3):2278-2284.