Bladder & Bowel Archive

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) affects up to 45 million Americans, two-thirds of whom are women. IBS is categorized into three types depending on which symptoms dominate: diarrhea, constipation, or a mix of both. Possible contributors include changes in gut bacteria, faulty nerve signals between brain and intestine, pelvic floor problems, and genetics. Newer treatment approaches target pathways involved in symptoms. Doctors are also repurposing older drugs for IBS, including certain antidepressants and the antibiotic rifaximin (Xifaxan).

Making one or more trips to the bathroom every night is the defining characteristic of a medical condition called nocturia. It can be caused by aging, lifestyle habits, or underlying conditions such as an overactive bladder or (in men) an enlarged prostate. Treating nocturia starts with lifestyle changes such as avoiding fluids several hours before bedtime, eliminating caffeinated drinks 10 hours before bedtime, and limiting evening alcohol intake. Medications, pelvic floor exercises, injections of botulinum toxin (Botox), or nerve stimulation treatments may also help.

While a man cannot directly give his female partner a bladder infection, he can increase her risk with vigorous or frequent sexual intercourse.

Bladder problems in women can increase due to childbirth, menopause, and aging. Additional contributors to bladder symptoms include weight gain, pelvic organ prolapse, and the types of beverages people drink, as well as how much and how often. Women should see a doctor about increasing leakage, urgency, frequency, or nighttime urination; cloudy or strong-smelling urine; pain or burning while urinating; pain during sex; or lower abdominal pain.

Men often have a hard time coping with incontinence (urine leakage). It can leave them feeling depressed or socially isolated. Types of leakage problems in men include urge, stress, and overflow incontinence. Treatment depends on the type of incontinence a man is experiencing. For example, overflow incontinence may get better with a procedure to reduce the size of the prostate; medications, injections in the bladder muscle, and pelvic floor exercises can help with urge incontinence.

Men do not have to worry about getting bladder infections from their female partners. Women can get urinary tract infections after sex, but this is a result of irritation at the opening of the urethra, which makes it easier for bacteria to enter.

Pregnancy and childbirth effects on the body can linger or develop years or decades after the birth. Muscles, ligaments, and nerves in the pelvis can be damaged, leading to urine or stool leakage or sagging pelvic organs. Treatment approaches include a pessary, various surgical procedures, or pelvic floor physical therapy. Women can protect their pelvic floor from weakening further by maintaining a healthy weight, preventing constipation, and managing conditions that contribute to chronic cough.

A 2022 study found that women with overactive bladder showed significant improvement in urinary symptoms, such as urgency and leakage, after they engaged in a type of telehealth care.

A sudden urge to use the bathroom when arriving home, sometimes called latchkey incontinence, occurs when the brain associates coming home with the need to urinate, whether the bladder is full or not. Bladder training may help address this pattern.