Bladder Diary
Please download and complete this bladder diary if you have been advised to by your physio from Elevate Pelvic Health.
Instructions
A bladder diary is one of the most useful tools we have to understand how your bladder is functioning in day-to-day life. It helps us look at patterns in:
How often you pass urine
How much your bladder holds
How much you drink
How strong your urges are
Any leakage that occurs
We often use a bladder diary when we suspect overactive bladder, underactive bladder, or when you’re experiencing symptoms such as:
Urinary frequency
Urinary urgency
Waking frequently overnight to wee
Urge incontinence or leakage
This information gives valuable insight into how your bladder and brain are communicating, and helps guide your treatment.
How long should I complete it for?
Ideally, complete your bladder diary for 3 consecutive days.
If this isn’t possible due to work or life commitments, you can spread it out — but you must also record the first void of the following morning each time.
Example
If you record on Monday, Thursday and Sunday, you must also record the first morning wee on:
Tuesday
Friday
Monday
This is important because it forms part of the overnight urine production calculation.
Even when you do 3 consecutive days, please still measure the first void on day 4 .
Tips for accurate recording
Measuring urine output
Catch your urine in a container placed in the toilet (empty ice-cream tubs work well)
Pour into a measuring jug to record the volume
Alternatively, you can use kitchen scales (just make sure you know the empty container weight)
Recording fluid intake
Measure your usual cups or bottles at the start of the day so you know their volume
If you sip from a water bottle over time, you can record it as a range
e.g. “600mL from 10am–1pm”
Urgency ratings
Be as honest and accurate as possible with urgency scores. These ratings tell us a lot about how your bladder signals are being perceived in your brain, which is clinically very helpful.
Important
Do not change your normal habits while completing the diary.
We want a picture of your usual bladder function, not your “best behaviour.”
If you have any questions while completing your diary, please bring them to your appointment — we’ll go through it together.