Fluid Egress

• Bladder capacity is ~600 ml (2 pints) in men and ~900 ml (3 pints) in women
• The sensation of a need to void depends on
  • The volume of fluid actually in the bladder
  • The rate of filling: rapid filling causes "urgency."
    • Thus if we drink a lot, we go more often than "necessary."
• The smooth muscle of the bladder wall, like the stomach, is capable of "receptive relaxation."
  • This is why the sensation abates if we "hold it.
  • Thus the first urgency can always be ignored.
    • At capacity, it can't be ignored.
    • ...we don't have a gauge...

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