The Urology Care Foundation Celebrates Bladder Health Month

5 Tips to Keep Your Bladder Healthy

Baltimore, MD, November 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/—November first marks the beginning of Bladder Health Month. Many people do not talk with their doctor about their bladder health symptoms because they are embarrassed or do not know that they could indicate a health issue. This month, the Urology Care Foundation encourages people to track their bladder health and talk with their doctors to stay in charge of their bladder health.

“Raising bladder health awareness and encouraging people to talk to professionals about their bladder health symptoms is a critical first step in eliminating the stigma associated with bladder-related conditions and disease,” said Harris M. Nagler, MD, President of the Urology Care Foundation.

The Urology Care Foundation is providing resources for the public and has experts available to discuss bladder health symptoms, stigmas and treatments.     

Here are five tips from the Urology Care Foundation for staying in control of your bladder health.

1. Drink up!

Staying hydrated is key to maintaining a healthy urinary system. The amount a person should drink varies, but drinking enough fluids so that you need to urinate every few hours is an excellent rule of thumb. Pay attention to whether what you drink and when you drink it affects your bladder symptoms. Some drinks, like alcohol or citrus juices can worsen symptoms for some bladder health conditions.

2. Watch When You Wee

Tracking your urination can be an excellent tool for gauging your bladder health. Tracking how often do you urinate, how urgently the need to urinate comes on and whether you experience other symptoms with urination, such as pain or bleeding, are all useful data for your doctor when discussing bladder health. Use the UCF Bladder Control Assessment Tool to begin tracking your symptoms.  

3. Move It!

Exercise is part of a healthy lifestyle, but did you know it could impact your bladder health? Regular exercise can relieve symptoms of bladder inflammation and bladder pain syndrome and kegel exercises can help improve incontinence. May first-line treatments for bladder health conditions include physical therapy and exercise.

4. Know Your Meds

Medications or medication interactions could affect your bladder. Pay attention to whether certain medications correlate with worsening bladder symptoms and discuss the changes with your doctor. There may be other treatment options that work better for you!

5. Talk To Your Doc

Talking about your bladder symptoms could be the hardest, yet most important part of improving your health. The better your health care provider knows the level and impact of your symptoms on your quality of life, the better they can help you manage them. Even if you are not bothered much about mild symptoms, you and your health care provider may want to discuss what treatment options are available to you. Find a urology care expert in your area.

Check out the Urology Care Foundation’s Bladder Health Awareness Month Info Center and follow UCF on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for free bladder health resources, including fact sheets, podcasts, videos and more.

About the Urology Care Foundation: The Urology Care Foundation is the world's leading nonprofit urological health foundation, and the official foundation of the American Urological Association. Collaborating with physicians, researchers, patients and the public, the Foundation supports and improves urologic clinical care by funding research, developing patient education and pursuing philanthropic support. To learn more about the Urology Care Foundation and its programs visit: www.urologyhealth.org. 

About the American Urological Association: Founded in 1902 and headquartered near Baltimore, Maryland, the American Urological Association is a leading advocate for the specialty of urology, and has more than 23,000 members throughout the world. The AUA is a premier urologic association, providing invaluable support to the urologic community as it pursues its mission of fostering the highest standards of urologic care through education, research and the formulation of health care policy.