Table 1.

Overview of Prevention of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms Consortium Bladder Dysfunction and Health in Women and Girls

		Bladder dysfunction		Bladder health
Bladder function	Elements of function	LUTS/subjective experience(s)	Objective measure(s)	Subjective, experience(s)	Objective, measure(s)
Storage	Capacity - Day/waking - Night/sleeping Continence - Day/waking - Night/sleeping Sensation - Urge - Comfort	Bothersome LUTS that occur during storage—e.g., increased daytime frequency, nocturia, urinary incontinence, enuresis, nocturnal enuresis, postvoid dribble, urgency, absence of urge, bladder pain	Physical finding or measure related to LUTS during storage—e.g., small bladder capacity, decreased time between voids, detrusor overactivity, urinary leakage	Ability to hold urine for a reasonable duration of time and sense bladder fullness without fear of or concern about urgency, discomfort, or leakagea	Physical finding or measure related to healthy storage—e.g., healthy first sensation, strong desire to void, maximum capacity, functional capacity, duration of time between urge and void, duration of time between voids
Emptying	Initiation Stream flow - Speed - Character - Continuity Efficacy Sensation - Relief of urge - Completeness - Comfort	Symptoms that occur during emptying—e.g., hesitancy, straining (at initiation and to completely empty), slow stream, interrupted stream, spraying/splitting, feeling of incomplete emptying, postvoid dribble, inability to sense when flow is complete, or dysuria	Measurable findings or signs related to LUTS that occur during the emptying of the bladder—e.g., premature or delayed initiation of stream, flow pattern, flow rate, elevated postvoid residual	The ability to empty the bladder completely in a timely, efficient, effortless, comfortable manner and resume continencea - Time to go from urge (delay in initiation of flow) - Duration of emptying - Completeness of emptying - Urine flow stops when desired	Physical finding or measure related to healthy emptying—e.g., time to initiation of stream, duration of total void, character of stream, minimal to no postvoid residual urine volume
Bioregulatory	Biosis barrier Physical/chemical barrier Cancer barrier	NA	Measurable findings related to the breakdown in the protective and communication functions of the bladder resulting in LUTS—e.g., infection, inflammation, collagen degradation, malignancy	NA	Measurable findings related to define healthy bioregulatory measures—e.g., biomarkers, microbiome, proteins that are adaptable to short-term physical or environmental stressors, able to completely recover from disruption, without long-term or persistent sequelae

^aFunction does not impact daily activities on a routine basis, is adaptable to short term physical or environmental stressors, and allows a woman to pursue her optimal well-being (e.g. travel, exercise, social, occupational or other activities).

LUTS, lower urinary tract symptoms; NA, not applicable.