Home and Dry by Birgit Bulla

Author:Birgit Bulla
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: HEA024000, HEA010000, MED088000, SCI008000, SCI036000
Publisher: Scribe Publications Pty Ltd
Published: 2022-04-14T00:00:00+00:00

Contracted Bladder:

Can Your Bladder Really Shrink?

As we have learned, a healthy bladder has a capacity of 350 to 550 ml in us ladies. But it is also possible for this to decrease. Yes, the bladder can actually shrink such that it can store less than 100 millilitres, or in some cases just 15 per cent of its standard volume. Specialists call this a ‘contracted bladder’.

The symptoms, such as frequent and urgent tinkling, are very similar to overactive bladder. The difference is that when you experience OAB, the bladder is a normal size, but it can no longer be filled to the top. In the case of a contracted bladder, on the other hand, it can be filled to the brim, but its storage capacity is much lower.

A bladder infection that hasn’t been cured is often responsible for this misery. If it isn’t treated properly and never fully heals, the bladder wall can harden; the tough, inflexible bladder will then no longer be able to expand to its proper size.

If it hasn’t been caused by an unhealed infection, a contracted bladder could also be a long-term consequence of the dreaded interstitial cystitis. Otherwise, it could be down to damage to the bladder wall, e.g. from an operation near the bladder that has scarred over.

By the way, the fear that you might yourself be responsible for your bladder shrinking because you’ve peed too often is unfounded. The bladder cannot become anatomically smaller from contracting too frequently. As we have learned, what can happen instead is that trigger-happy pee-ers eventually become accustomed to higher frequency and are hyper-responsive to the urge to pee. (More on this.)

Doctors can only help you once they know why your bladder has shrunk. Some of the medications used for overactive bladder can also be used here. They don’t enlarge the contracted bladder, they just alleviate the symptoms and help you to normalise your urination, thus minimising trips to the toilet.

In extreme cases, an operation might be considered. Through what’s known as bladder augmentation, the bladder is artificially enlarged to allow more urine to fit in again. If this isn’t possible, doctors can even install an artificial bladder for you.

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