Listen: are you affected by Overactive Bladder?

Overactive bladder (OAB) is a condition that is characterised by a heightened urgency to pee, peeing more than 7-8 times a day, increased leakage and waking up more than once each night to go to the bathroom.

Almost 50% of people with overactive bladder symptoms don’t seek medical help. Many people instead adapt their lives around being near a toilet, for example by avoiding unfamiliar places, social situations, or reducing the amount of water they drink.

Balancing symptoms of OAB can be challenging. A recent survey of 500 OAB patients by Astellas suggests that nearly half of people with OAB (47%) have wet themselves because they couldn’t find a toilet in public. People report many aspects of their lives being negatively impacted by OAB including their sleep (63%), work (38%), socialising (44%), and their mental health (42%) and romantic and dating life (25%).

The Break Free From Plans To Pee campaign has been launched to challenge acceptance of OAB symptoms and encourage people to recognise ways in which they might be adapting their lives around the condition. The campaign invites people to visit the Break Free From Plans To Pee website to take a bladder control questionnaire and speak with a GP about their bladder health.