Bladder gets smaller?

Wed Aug 17, 2011 8:01 am

Over the years I've read up as much on incontinence as I've wanted and somewhere I read that if the bladder cannot fill up then it becomes smaller. If I sit for long periods like at a hockey game I don't leak very much until I stand up & then watch out! So I know my bladder does hold something but otherwise I leak pretty much on a constant basis. Either way I was just wondering if in fact the bladder does get smaller due to non use and how small does it get? Weird question I know but I just wanted to know what the facts really are ~ Thanks!

Wed Aug 17, 2011 11:24 am

I understand what you are saying. It has been confirmed that my bladder capacity has decreased since I became incontinent. I don't know if my bladder has become smaller, but the amount it will hold has definitely decreased. I used to be able to hold 500-600mL. Now it holds considerably less and I start to leak. You could ask your question to a urologist. It would be interesting. But I am under the impression your bladder capacity can go down.

It has been explained to me that I also leak when I stand because the pelvic floor relaxes more when you suddenly stand. I don't just leak when I stand, I leak when I sit and walk as well, both bladder and bowel.

Wed Aug 17, 2011 1:05 pm

It's not that the bladder becomes smaller, it's that the muscle looses the ability to stretch. Bladder walls thicken and harden with disuse, which reduces capacity. This is a process that takes years.

Wed Aug 17, 2011 11:44 pm

I know over the last 10+ years, I can not hold nearly as much as I used to... seems back then, I could hold it all day if I really had to before my accident, now I am lucky to get to 250-300 mls before I have the appearance of the "angry bladder". I did do a bladder diary for a few days when I measured at home before I went to the Uro last summer, never asked for it though... Puffy

Thu Aug 18, 2011 12:22 pm

I have no feeling or control over my bladder. It pretty much leaks constantly which means I seldom have a flood except for when I've been sitting for an extended length of time. I don't seem to leak as much when I'm in a sitting position such as driving my truck. However when I get out of the driver's seat the flood gates open up. I have noticed this after sitting at home or at the movie theater as well as any place I've been sitting for an hour or more. I don't know if the capacity of my bladder has decreased since becoming incontinent. With my situation I guess it doesn't matter anyway.