Dear OAB Nurse, I am 27 years old, female. I have alway

Dear OAB Nurse, I am 27 years old, female. I have always been able to hold my urine for a looong time (even though I know one shouldn't try to hold it in for excessively long periods). I recently started having sex, & noticed that concurrently, I have had trouble holding my urine. After the first time, when I went to urinate, I noticed that I couldn't ~quite~ get everything out. I started noticing this happening, accompanied by some leakage after I stood up, on subsequent trips to the bathroom. Then, I started not being able to hold my urine - I would notice I had to go to the bathroom, & when I went to the bathroom, I would start leaking before I had a chance to sit down. Over the past couple of weeks, the urgency has started becoming stronger & more immediate, even if I don't end up urinating very much. Then, yesterday was horrible - I probably urinated up to 10 times (possibly more) in the space of 2 hours. Almost every time, I barely had anything, but I couldn't hold it. Also, my body would only give me a few seconds of warning before I would start urinating! It was also accompanied by an unpleasant, very intense (though I wouldn't quite say painful or burning) sensation afterwards, & occasionally a hint of the lightest red in my urine, though I don't currently have my period. Fortunately, as the day went along, my need to urinate started decreasing, & today, so far, I am doing okay w/ making it to the bathroom in time. No red in my urine today yet either. But I am concerned, as this has been very troubling. Any idea what could've caused this? Could it have something to do w/ having sex (e.g, could something have been damaged during sex)? What are the likelihoods that this will continue - or possibly (& preferably!!!) clear up on its own? Any ideas on possible methods of treatment (if any) for my specific situation? I know I should go see a doctor, but I have a huge phobia associated w/ going to the doctor's, & am hoping to get some information here first if at all possible. Thank you very much for your forum. It is very appreciated.

My concern is that you may have a bladder infection so you should go to the doctor to have your urine checked. You are very young to have such urgency. But you also should not 'hold your urine' too long. The normal is to go at least every 4 to 5 hours. It sounds as though you have overactive bladder which is when you experience symptoms of urgency – a sudden and strong desire to go to the bathroom, frequency – going to the bathroom more than 8 times in a day, nocturia which is awakening up at night to urinate or wet the bed while asleep. Many people also experience day and nighttime urinary incontinence which is urine leakage on the why to the bathroom, after sudden urgency or when you cough, laugh or sneeze or exercise. I suggest you learn about behavioral treatment programs which include pelvic muscle exercises as well as bladder training for urgency and frequency. Pelvic muscle exercises strengthen muscles that support the bladder and the urethra. These exercises have been shown to decrease urinary leakage. Bladder retraining is controlling urgency using strategies that can help relax the bladder and delay voiding. I would also suggest dietary modifications. There are certain foods and beverages that contain ingredients that can cause bladder irritability. I list these on my website and they include any foods and drinks that contain caffeine such as coffee, tea, chocolate, soft drinks. Also we find that spicy foods, citrus foods, juices and tomato based products may also trigger urinary urgency/frequency and incontinence. There are also many medications that can also help these symptoms. They include a skin patch called Oxytrol, and 5 pills called Detrol LA, Ditropan XL, Sanctura, Vesicare and Enablex. You may be interested in my book - Overcoming Overactive Bladder which also has a great deal of information. You can obtain these books from the website or on Amazon.com by putting in these term “urinary incontinence” and overactive bladder. Also, go to this URLs Overactive Bladder: http://www.seekwellness.com/incontinence/overactive_bl adder.htm OAB treatments: http://www.seekwellness.com/incontinence/oab_treatment s.htm Behavioral treatments: http://www.seekwellness.com/incontinence/treatments4.h tm Pelvic floor muscle exercises: http://www.seekwellness.com/incontinence/pelvic_floor_ muscle_rehab.htm Diet: http://www.seekwellness.com/incontinence/treatments.ht m#diet