How does overactive bladder (OAB) affect your relationships?

A round table discussion with women living with overactive bladder and how it affects relationships and intimacy.

Transcript

00:00

Currently, I'm dating, and yeah, when it gets to the part where it's going to be long term, I panic.

00:06

And I have found myself-- I haven't done it yet. I'm embarrassed, because I know that I'll have to say, oh, I gotta stop again.

00:13

Can you pull over at the next exit? Hi, everyone. I'm Patricia Geraghty, nurse practitioner specialist

00:21

in women's health, and I'm here today with Veronica, Lynne, Nikkie, and Brynn.

00:28

Overactive bladder is pretty intimate. How do you introduce this discussion

00:34

with your spouse or partner or very good friend? Well, I've been with my husband for a while,

00:41

and it wasn't an issue when we were first together. It was more after I had my son. So I think he noticed that I was having to go to the bathroom

00:50

more often. He's supportive. He teases about it, but he just also knows

00:56

that I'm going to have to go before we leave the house, and we're going to have to stop frequently on road trips. My friends are super supportive.

01:04

I have some friends who have the same issue that I do, so a lot of times, if we're in a social situation

01:10

and I need to use the restroom, they also have to go. Lynne, how do you talk to intimate partners,

01:17

significant others, even new partners? I guess if it's somebody that you care enough about,

01:23

and they care enough about you, you just have to be honest. Say, hey, look. I have this issue, I have to stop a lot.

01:30

Sorry about that. That's it. And usually, people are OK with that. Veronica? How about you? Well, I've been in a relationship for 10 years,

01:38

plus. And we're both older. So we kind of both have the same situation. So it was kind of easy.

01:44

It's like, OK, you got to go now? I have to go now. So I didn't have that much of an issue with it. How about intimate life with your spouse or your partner?

01:53

Does overactive partner effect that? Nikkie, you want to take this one on? It's kind of embarrassing, because I'm a newlywed.

02:01

We've been married almost five years. And it's totally embarrassing, because I need to be able to enjoy being a newlywed.

02:10

I need to be able to really enjoy my husband and enjoy a healthy sex life, versus oh my God, hold on,

02:20

honey, I gotta go pee. And he's fine. You know, you're in the mood and you got the music going, and then, hold up, honey, I gotta go take this.

02:28

Fortunately, I have a husband that's understanding. At first, it was like, are you serious? And then, now we're on our fifth year.

02:36

He totally gets it. But-- It's your reality, isn't it?