While it may be difficult to talk about your overactive bladder issues, there's no reason to feel embarrassed about discussing the condition with a health care professional. Your doctor is likely to offer some helpful strategies.

Carolyn Hoge remembers the problem started for no apparent reason. Out of the blue, she would have this sudden urgency to go to the bathroom. "I had to go now - I mean immediately!" Carolyn recalls. Hard contractions that could be painful often accompanied this urgency. "And oh my God, I was squeezing my knees!"

Many people don't want to talk about the problem - even with their doctor. Some think that having to urinate all the time is just a temporary issue, that it can't be helped, or is just part of aging. Others have resigned to letting their dysfunctional bladder pretty much control their lives. It doesn't have to be that way, because there are dozens of ways to treat overactive bladder. What is overactive bladder? Overactive bladder (OAB) syndrome causes the frequent, sudden and urgent need to go to the bathroom, sometimes causing incontinence. Symptoms include: Urinating ...