Overactive Bladder - When to See a Doctor

Dr. Dean Elterman, MD, MSc, FRCSC Urological Surgeon

Duration: 1 minute 28 seconds

Overactive bladder is a painless condition. So anytime you have pain, you have to think maybe there's something else going on. And also, of course, there really shouldn't be any changes in the urine so there shouldn't be any cloudiness or odor and especially there should be no blood. So the biggest thing to be on the lookout of courses if you have blood in your urine, you should tell your doctor about that because that could be a sign of something more serious like bladder cancer.

One of the biggest takeaways about overactive bladder is that it's just such a common condition and that people shouldn't accept it as a normal part of aging. There are a lot of things that happen as people get older, but it doesn't mean that it can't be treated. So having to rush to the bathroom and go a lot of times, or have accidents with urine is a part of aging and yes, it may happen more often as we get older, but it doesn't mean that there aren't good treatments available. Those treatments are highly effective and by talking about urinary incontinence and talking about having to go to the bathroom more often, you can of course, rule out more serious conditions but also seek really good treatments and you don't have to live with your symptoms.

Presenter: Dr. Dean Elterman, Urologist, Toronto, ON

Local Practitioners: Urologist