Where am I: About the Bladder & Cystitis > What is the bladder?
What is the bladder?
The bladder is a hollow organ in the lower abdomen that stores urine. It has two main functions:
- Storage - For the majority of the time the bladder acts as a storage vessel for urine which has been produced by the kidneys.
- Emptying - The bladder also helps the body to get ride of urine using a complex process of contracting and relaxing of muscles.
Usually a person with a normal healthy bladder will require the toilet (to urinate) around seven times a day or not more than every two hours. This level of frequency can be affected by various disorders or conditions that affect the bladder. Also as people get older, their bladder capacity tends to diminish, leading them to require the toilet more frequently.Bladder function can often be taken for granted. However, when a person is affected by a condition which causes them to visit the toilet a lot or that causes pain in the bladder, it can have a serious impact on various aspects of their lives.