Overactive Bladder
What causes overactive bladder?
What is the short answer?
The bladder muscle squeezes before it's full.
Aging, nerve conditions, an enlarged prostate, and menopause can all play a role.
When should I make an appointment?
Get checked if urgency or leaks affect your day.
Asking about PTNS?
We don’t offer needle PTNS treatments. The tibial nerve option our urologists provide is an implant: Altaviva Therapy by Medtronic, placed beneath the skin by the ankle.
What happens at a visit?
Our two Gwinnett offices each include a surgery center: Snellville at 1557 Janmar Rd, Snellville, GA 30078 and Lawrenceville at 501 Crown Pointe Way, Lawrenceville, GA 30046. Let us know which part of the county you call home, and we’ll take it from there.
How do our urologists approach this?
Overactive bladder has several possible causes, and our urologists look for yours before choosing a treatment. We review your medical history, fluid habits and medicines, and check for infection. Advanced Urology’s overactive bladder page explains that nerve conditions, weak pelvic muscles, infections and some medicines can all play a part. Treatment usually begins with bladder training and medicine. If those don’t help enough, we can move on to Botox, InterStim or Altaviva.
What happens at a visit?
Your visit starts with questions about urgency, frequency, leaks and nighttime urination. A few days of bladder diary entries before the visit give us a lot to work with. We’ll check your urine and may do an exam or a bladder test called urodynamics.
When should I call?
Call us if urgency is keeping you from work or sleep, or if you notice blood in your urine or burning that doesn’t go away.
What do patients often ask?
These are the questions we hear most, each with a short answer.
Is overactive bladder a normal part of aging?
It’s common, but it isn’t a normal part of aging, and there are effective treatments.
Is there a video on this?
Two of our Snellville urologists, Dr. Vik Sabarwal and Dr. A. Dev Mally, explain overactive bladder in these videos.
- Watch: Overactive Bladder (OAB): Symptoms & Treatment Options | Dr. Vik Sabarwal What the video covers: Dr. Vik Sabarwal explains what overactive bladder is, its common symptoms, and the treatment options that can help.
- Watch: Dr. Mally Discusses Overactive Bladder What the video covers: Dr. Mally talks about overactive bladder.
What should I read next?
Educational content; your own care plan comes from a visit. Back to the reading room