How your Bladder Works

A bladder works by storing and releasing urine when it's appropriate. A healthy bladder is a muscle that will hold up to 15 ounces of urine before exerting pressure on the bladder walls and causing the need to urinate. When this happens, an area of your brain called the micturition centre sends a signal to your sphincter muscles, which then tighten up and allow you to release your urine. If you don't go for a while, your body will continue to send signals telling your bladder muscles to contract to expel more fluid from your body. This can become a problem if the micturition centre is not receiving these signals. If they are not, your body will continue to send these signals, and it will eventually stop working. This is known as interrupted urination because it interrupts the normal functioning of the bladder.

At any given time, about 1% of people have a condition known as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), which is caused by an increase in pressure in the prostate gland and can lead to urine retention and lower urinary tract symptoms.

A rupture in the muscle of your bladder can also cause urinary incontinence. This can happen if you have scarring of the tissues within your bladder or a blockage within the muscular wall. These are conditions that are not reversible but are treated with medical management rather than surgery. If you experience urinary incontinence, it is recommended that you speak to your doctor about any changes in your lifestyle that may be contributing to this condition.

Bladder control is involuntary muscle activity that occurs over time during urination. The term refers to two different functions of the bladder: detrusor contraction and micturition (urination). The bladder and the muscular contractions that occur during urination both involve this involuntary muscle activity.

Anatomy: The Urinary Bladder
The urinary bladder is a hollow muscular organ that is shaped similar to an upside-down pear. The bladder sits within the pelvis, just below your umbilicus (belly button). It is about the size of three baseballs and is located in your abdomen just below your stomach. Your intestines and spleen rest inside of it, and it communicates with your kidneys through a ureter (this was initially thought to be one kidney because they share in the same way). It contains two sphincter muscles. When relaxed, they allow your bladder to fill up with urine through your ureter. When the need arises to urinate, the sphincter muscles tighten and relax for urine to pass through. The emptying of urine is stimulated by the stretch receptors within the bladder that stretch when it fills up to capacity.

The bladder communicates with nerves in your abdomen, pelvis bones, and spinal cord.

Your abdominal wall is an essential component of the urinary system; its muscles are responsible for abdominal movements (peristalsis), which move food through your digestive tract for digestion and expulsion from the body. When you urinate, these muscles contract to empty the bladder, independent of the brain.

Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) is a term used to describe any bladder problems that cause symptoms, such as an inability to empty your bladder when you are trying to go forcefully. Refraining from urinating may also cause symptoms at night or in the morning when getting out of bed. These symptoms are caused by several conditions like Obstructive Bladder Diseases (OBDs), Interrupted Bladder Syndrome (IBS), and an infection called cystitis (bladder infection).

Pelvic floor muscles are responsible for menstrual flow in women. These muscles can be trained to improve bladder function and urinary control.
Symptoms: Symptoms of a bladder problem include: frequent or urgent need to urinate, pain or burning with urination, having to urinate within less than an hour after finishing and in the middle of the night, and in men: weak urine stream and dribbling after urination.

Bladder cancer is a condition that produces symptoms caused by enlargement of the prostate gland. The most common symptom is urinary obstruction, with an inability to empty your bladder normally when you urinate. This can lead to interrupted urination, which increases your chances of developing bladder cancer.

To have a clear understanding of how a bladder works, you must first understand how it is formed. A perfect bladder has two parts, the urinary bladder and the urinary sphincter. These two areas are separated by an elastic membrane called the peritoneum that stretches when you try to urinate. The muscle that forms the inner section of your bladder is called the detrusor muscle or internal sphincter. When urine enters your body through your urethra, it mixes with mucus and other bacteria to form a substance known as 'urine'.
The next step in understanding bladder control is understanding how it works during urination.