Seven tips for keeping your bladder healthy

By Peter G. O’Hare, III, MD, URPS, FACOG
TidalHealth Urogynecology

Your bladder might be something you don’t think too much about until you need to use the bathroom without one in sight — or if you’re having a problem. Here are my tips for ways women can keep their bladders healthy.

Stay hydrated. I recommend drinking about 50 ounces of a neutral fluid — like water — each day. Drinks to avoid or limit include heavily caffeinated beverages, alcohol and carbonated drinks. If you do have one of those types of drinks, drink water afterward.

Keep your body healthy. Keeping your body healthy can help keep your bladder healthy. Diet and exercise are important for bladder and overall health. Women who are obese are putting more pressure on their pelvic floor, which can lead to pelvic floor concerns.

Don’t hold urine too long. It’s not always convenient to use the bathroom during work, especially for those in roles like nursing and teaching, so some have trained their bladder not to empty. The longer this goes on, the more of a problem it can cause. It’s important to stop habits like this before they lead to problems like bladder dysfunction and having to urinate more often later in life.

Don’t rush urine out. Basically, you need to let your bladder do what it requires naturally — don’t hold urine in, but don’t force it out, either. Trying to get urine out as quickly as possible, also known as Valsalva voiding, is not healthy for the bladder.

Do what you can to avoid urinary tract infections. It’s common to have the occasional urinary tract infection, and in young, healthy women, they will often go away on their own. However, you should seek medical treatment if you get UTIs more than twice a year or experience problems such as fever or back pain with a UTI. One tip for decreasing the risk of UTIs is to flush out the system with water after sexual activity.

Be aware of abnormalities. If you see blood in your urine — and what you’re seeing isn’t your usual menstrual cycle — you should see a urogynecologist to find out what’s causing it.

Know what is healthy. Most people urinate about five to seven times during waking hours, and once or less at night. If you are urinating often or waking up throughout the night to urinate, you should raise your concerns with a urogynecologist. Similarly, leaking urine, while common, does not have to be an expected part of life after giving birth or while aging, and that can be treated.

To see a specialist about a bladder-related or pelvic floor concern, women can call TidalHealth Urogynecology, located in Ocean Pines, at 410-912-5674. Men can call TidalHealth Urology in Salisbury at 410-912-6716 or in Seaford at 302-990-3300.