Urgency to urinate pregnancy

Frequent urination during pregnancy | Pregnancy Birth and Baby

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What is frequent urination during pregnancy?

Frequent urination is when you need to urinate (wee) more often than usual when pregnant. Needing to go to the toilet more often during your pregnancy is normal and is caused by the hormonal and physical changes occurring in your body. Your bladder (which stores urine), your bowel (which your poo passes through) and your uterus (where your baby grows) are all located in the small space of your abdomen, so changes that occur in one organ are also likely to affect the others.

What causes frequent urination during pregnancy?

You experience frequent urination because when you are pregnant, your body produces more fluids than at other times. Your kidneys, which produce urine, also become more efficient. Your uterus – situated directly behind your bladder – becomes larger to accommodate your growing baby and as a result, it pushes against your bladder.

For some women, weak pelvic floor muscles are another cause of frequent urination during pregnancy. Pelvic floor muscles support the organs of the pelvis, which include the bladder, uterus and bowel.

When am I more likely to experience frequent urination during pregnancy?

Frequent urination is common at every stage of pregnancy. During the first stages, hormonal changes increase the frequency with which you need to use the toilet. Later in pregnancy, it is more likely to be caused by your baby pressing against your bladder, while in the last few weeks of pregnancy, you may struggle to empty your bladder completely.

Towards the end of your pregnancy, it is common to wet yourself a little while coughing, sneezing or lifting things. This happens because these actions place more pressure on your pelvic floor, and for many women, the pelvic floor becomes weakened during pregnancy.

Am I likely to experience frequent urination if I have had it before pregnancy?

If you have had bladder problems before pregnancy, unfortunately these are likely to worsen after the birth. Women can also develop new bladder problems after having a baby.

How can I reduce frequent urination during my pregnancy?

While you cannot do much to lessen your need to urinate frequently, you can strengthen your pelvic floor muscles. Strengthening these muscles can help you ‘hold in’ your urine until you are able to get to the toilet. The best way to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles is through exercise. Exercising the muscles will also provide a sturdy support system for your bowel, uterus and bladder.

Ideally, women should do pelvic floor exercises before becoming pregnant, but it's never too late. Remember to keep up your pelvic floor exercises after your baby is born too.

The Continence Foundation of Australia have produced this video on how to do pelvic floor exercises:

While, in most cases, frequent urination during pregnancy is quite normal and not a concern, in some situations it is best to see a doctor. If you feel a stinging, burning sensation or if you feel any pain when you use the toilet, it is important that you discuss this with your doctor. It might indicate you have an infection that needs to be treated promptly.

Will it continue after I’ve had the baby?

While you may continue to urinate more than usual after your baby is born, you will usually see an improvement in the first 6 months after the birth. This is because pelvic floor nerves, tissues and muscles are beginning to recover from pregnancy and birth. Make sure you keep up your pelvic floor exercises — your midwife can also guide you with what to expect over the first few weeks and months after your baby’s birth.

Where to get help

Call the Continence Foundation of Australia on 1800 33 00 66
Talk to your GP — Click here to find a doctor near you
Check in with your midwife
Call Pregnancy, Birth and Baby on 1800 882 436 to speak to a maternal child health nurse

Sources:

The Royal Women's Hospital (Common concerns in early pregnancy), Better Health Channel (Pregnancy - signs and symptoms), Continence Foundation of Australia (Pregnancy and childbirth), The Royal Women’s Hospital (Pelvic floor exercises)

Learn more here about the development and quality assurance of healthdirect content.

Last reviewed: January 2021

Incontinence during pregnancy
Pelvic floor exercises
Bladder weakness after birth
Bladder and bowel problems during pregnancy

This information is for your general information and use only and is not intended to be used as medical advice and should not be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any medical condition, nor should it be used for therapeutic purposes.

The information is not a substitute for independent professional advice and should not be used as an alternative to professional health care. If you have a particular medical problem, please consult a healthcare professional.

Except as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, this publication or any part of it may not be reproduced, altered, adapted, stored and/or distributed in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of Healthdirect Australia.

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Prenatal Care: Urinary Frequency and Thirst

Prenatal Care: Urinary Frequency and Thirst - Healthline

Medically reviewed by University of Illinois — By Rachel Nall, MSN, CRNA on March 1, 2016

From morning sickness to back pain, there are many new symptoms that come with pregnancy. Another symptom is the seemingly never-ending urge to urinate – even if you’ve just gone a few minutes prior. Pregnancy increases your urge to urinate. This can keep you up at night, especially during your third trimester.

Causes

Increased urinary frequency is an early symptom of pregnancy in women. It’s caused by an increase of the hormones progesterone and human chorionic gonadotropin. The urges tend to reduce in the second trimester. The uterus is also higher in the second trimester. This results in less pressure on your bladder.

In addition to rising hormones, your body’s fluid levels start to increase during pregnancy. This means your kidneys have to work extra hard to flush the extra fluid. The amount of urine you release will increase as well.

In the third trimester, your baby’s growing size means they’re pressing even more on your bladder. As a result, you may have to wake up several times during the night to urinate. You also may experience increased urgency to urinate due to the added pressure.

Symptoms

If you’re experiencing urinary frequency in pregnancy, you’ll feel the need to urinate more often. Sometimes you may go to the bathroom, but urinate very little, if at all.

Some women may also experience urinary leakage while pregnant. This leakage may occur when you:

cough
exercise
laugh
sneeze

It’s important to note that sometimes urinary frequency symptoms can indicate an underlying urinary tract infection (UTI). Women are more likely to experience UTIs during pregnancy. In addition to symptoms of urinary frequency or urgency, other UTI symptoms include:

urine that appears cloudy
urine that is red, pink, or concentrated
urine that has a strong or foul smell
a burning sensation when urinating
pain when urinating

If you have these symptoms, tell your doctor. An untreated UTI could progress up the urinary tract and cause more serious symptoms.

Diagnosis

Doctors can usually diagnose urinary frequency and urgency by your symptoms. Your doctor will ask how often you’re going to the restroom and how much you urinate with each trip. They may suggest keeping a journal of how often you go and how much you urinate.

Your doctor may order diagnostic tests if they’re concerned your symptoms aren’t pregnancy-related. Tests your doctor may use include:

urinalysis: This tests the urine for infective bacteria.
ultrasound: This test can identify any abnormalities of your bladder, kidneys, or urethra.
bladder stress test: This test measures how much urine is leaking when you cough or bear down.
cystoscopy: This procedure involves inserting a thin, lighted scope with a camera into the urethra to examine the bladder and urethra.

Treatment

Pregnancy-related urinary frequency and urgency usually resolve after you give birth. These symptoms will often subside about six weeks after giving birth.

Your doctor may recommend strengthening your bladder muscles through exercises known as Kegels. These exercises strengthen your pelvic floor. This helps you gain better control over your urine flow, especially after giving birth.

You can perform Kegel exercises daily, ideally about three times a day. Follow these steps:

Tighten the muscles of your pelvic floor by imagining you’re stopping the flow of urine.
Hold the muscles for 10 seconds, or as long as you can.
Release the contracted muscles.
Repeat 15 times to complete a single set.

You will know you’re performing Kegel exercises correctly if no one can tell you’re doing them.

You may have underlying medical causes besides pregnancy that are leading to urinary frequency and urgency. If so, your doctor will treat those as they are diagnosed.

At-Home Treatment

Drinking enough fluids is vital to maintaining your health and your baby’s health while pregnant. You shouldn’t cut back on what you’re drinking just to reduce your trips to the bathroom.

However, you can cut back on caffeinated beverages, which act as natural diuretics. Doctors often recommend reducing caffeine intake to avoid potential pregnancy complications.

You could also keep a journal of the times of day you use the restroom. You can then plan on going to the restroom on or before these times to reduce the likelihood of urinary leakage. Leaning forward while urinating can help you to better empty your bladder.

Performing Kegel exercises at home can also help you to continue strengthening the pelvic floor muscles. Strengthening these muscles during pregnancy can also help you prepare for labor.

Prevention

Practicing regular Kegel exercises can help you to gain some control over your pelvic floor and increase urinary control. However, there aren’t many other ways to prevent urinary frequency and urgency in pregnancy. As your baby grows inside your body, you may experience these symptoms.

Outlook

Pregnancy can lead to more frequent urination and sometimes a lack of control over urination. Urinary frequency goes away after childbirth for most women. You should let your doctor know if you’re still having bladder problems six weeks after having your baby.

Last medically reviewed on March 2, 2016

Parenthood
Pregnancy
Pregnancy Health

How we reviewed this article:

Healthline has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations. We avoid using tertiary references. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

Adaji, S. E., Shittu, O. S., Bature, S. B., Nasir, S., Olatunji, O. (2011, August 11). Bothersome lower urinary symptoms during pregnancy: A preliminary study using the international consultation on incontinence questionnaire. African Health Sciences, 11(1), S46-S52
Early signs of pregnancy. (2016, February 8)
cyh.com/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetails.aspx?p=438&np=456&id=2742
Frequent urination. (2013, December)
marchofdimes. org/pregnancy/frequent-urination.aspx#
Mayo Clinic Staff. (2015, July 23). Urinary tract infection (UTI)
Pregnancy childbirth and bladder control. (2012, July 23)
Urinary frequency during pregnancy. (2010)
Urinary incontinence fact sheet. (2012, July 16)
womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/urinary-incontinence.html

Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available.

Current Version

Mar 2, 2016

Written By

Rachel Nall, MSN, CRNA

Edited By

Nizam Khan (TechSpace)

Medically Reviewed By

University of Illinois-Chicago

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Medically reviewed by University of Illinois — By Rachel Nall, MSN, CRNA on March 1, 2016

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Frequent urination during pregnancy - Juno
Frequent urination during pregnancy - Juno
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Frequent urination during pregnancy

We offer you to understand the issue in more detail - you will find out how normal frequent urination in women during pregnancy when appears and what to do.

Content of Article

When considered frequent

Urges are frequent if they occur more than 9 times a day. Usually only a small amount of urine is passed at a time. Pregnant women may have about 20 visits to the toilet per day, while the daily amount of urine can also increase to 2 liters.

Is it an early sign of pregnancy?

HCG slightly increases the volume of urine excreted, so frequent urination begins already in the first weeks of pregnancy. The symptom does not 100% indicate the onset of fertilization - it should be considered in conjunction with other manifestations - primarily with a positive test.

However, keep in mind that with an increase in the daily volume of urine at a very early date, a false negative result is possible. Also, the symptom is less pronounced in ectopic pregnancy due to lower hCG levels, so an examination is required in any case.

If you began to frequent the toilet and there is a delay, then pregnancy is very likely.

Physiological causes of frequent urination in pregnant women

In healthy women, this phenomenon is associated with the body getting used to carrying a baby, as well as with other physiological reasons.

In the first half of pregnancy

The main causes of frequent urination during early pregnancy:

Increased progesterone production. This hormone relaxes muscle tissue, helping to maintain pregnancy. As a result, urine is retained worse, the urge to void becomes more frequent due to the reduced tone of the bladder.

Increased blood supply in the pelvis. Due to the proximity of the bladder to the uterus, its increased sensitivity occurs - filling receptors react more strongly.

Active work of the kidneys. During the bearing of a child, the renal blood flow increases 1.5 times for the constant renewal of amniotic fluid and the timely removal of metabolic products. Accordingly, more urine begins to be produced.

Physiological increase in urination does not cause pain and discomfort, itching and burning. In the presence of negative symptoms, you need to consult a doctor to rule out pathologies.

Second half of pregnancy

The main reason for frequent urge to urinate in the second and third trimester is the increased pressure of the uterus on the bladder. However, diseases can also be the cause:

Infections. Changes in the pelvis in pregnant women and a decrease in protective forces increase the risk of developing urethritis, cystitis, pyelonephritis. Such pathologies are accompanied not only by frequent urination, but also by pain, discomfort in the area of inflammation, and a burning sensation. The woman's health is deteriorating;

Gestational diabetes. An increase in blood glucose in violation of carbohydrate metabolism. The amount of urine separated increases significantly.

Other pathologies include neoplasms in the small pelvis, endocrine and neurological disorders.

Soreness with frequent urination in pregnant women - is it normal or not?

Painful urination is not normal. Unpleasant sensations indicate the development of a pathological process. Pain and discomfort are a sign of urinary tract irritation. Cystitis is very likely if a woman has severely reduced immunity or has chronic diseases of the pelvic organs. Sometimes it can be accompanied by a temperature and requires a mandatory visit to the doctor.

Calls at night

Pregnant women often complain about how tired they are at night "hiking". The situation is explained by the fact that the work of the kidneys depends on the position of the body. In the later stages, the female body is prone to fluid retention and edema, especially when in an upright position. When the expectant mother lies down, the renal blood flow and the outflow of fluid from the tissues increase. As a result, the kidneys excrete more urine.

What is the duration of frequent urination during pregnancy?

The phenomenon begins already from the first days of pregnancy and is especially pronounced up to about 12 weeks. Later, the number of emptyings gradually decreases, because by 4-5 months the body adapts to new conditions. The diaphragm rises, creating more space for the growing uterus and "unloading" the pelvic organs.

Frequent urination during pregnancy in the second trimester may indicate the addition of an infection or the development of inflammation, but it is also possible as a manifestation of the individual characteristics of the body.

In the third trimester, the opposite phenomenon is possible - fluid retention. However, the closer the birth, the more often the urge to urinate becomes. In the last month of gestation, the uterus descends and puts pressure on the organs of the urinary system.

How likely is miscarriage in the absence of frequent urination?

A woman does not always immediately find out about a missed pregnancy. Fetal movements are not felt in the early stages, so pregnant women "listen" to other signs. In the first weeks, the abrupt cessation of toxicosis and frequent urge to urinate are alarming. These symptoms can indeed indicate the death or developmental delay of the fetus, as well as an ectopic pregnancy, but not always. Toward the end of the first trimester, the kidneys excrete less urine, in some this has been observed since 9‒10 weeks.

How to deal with frequent urination during pregnancy: tips

In the absence of pathologies, the discomfort caused by physiological frequent urination can be reduced as follows:

Stay hydrated. Drink enough, but don't overdo it. Give preference to water over sugary drinks like coffee.

Eat rationally. Eliminate diuretic foods (citrus fruits, spicy foods), as well as things that cause constipation.

Exercise. Strengthen your pelvic muscles by training your vaginal and anus sphincters.

Get more rest. Sleep during the day is very useful, especially in the later stages - after being in a horizontal position, the bladder empties faster, as a result, the load on the kidneys during night rest is reduced.

Maintain immunity. Avoid hypothermia, take vitamin complexes as prescribed by the doctor.

Empty your bladder as much as possible. Do not hold back the urge and try to make sure that all the urine comes out completely. In this regard, it is easier to urinate in the shower.

Control your condition. If other symptoms (pain, fever, burning sensation) appear in addition to frequent urination, tell your doctor immediately.

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Excessive or frequent urination, polyuria - causes, examination and treatment in Astrakhan | Symptoms

Cystitis (bladder infection)
Signs: Usually in women and girls. Frequent and acute urge to urinate. Pain or burning sensation during urination. Sometimes fever and pain in the lower back or side. Sometimes blood in the urine or fetid urine.

Pregnancy
Signs: Usually during the last few months of pregnancy.

Prostate enlargement (benign or malignant)
Signs: Usually in men over 50 years of age. Slowly worsening symptoms associated with urination (difficulty starting to urinate, weak urine flow, leakage at the end of urination, and a feeling of incomplete urination). Often found during a digital rectal examination.

Prostatitis (infection of the prostate gland)
Signs: Soreness of the prostate, detected during a digital rectal examination. Often fever, difficulty starting to urinate, burning or pain during urination. Sometimes there is blood in the urine. In some cases, symptoms of a long-standing blockage in the urinary tract (including weak urine flow, difficulty urinating, or leakage at the end of urination).

Radiation cystitis (bladder injury caused by radiotherapy)
Signs: In patients who have undergone radiation therapy of the lower abdomen, prostate and perineum for cancer treatment.

Spinal cord dysfunction or injury
Signs: Weakness and numbness in the legs. Urinary retention or uncontrolled passing of urine or stools (fecal or urinary incontinence). Sometimes an obvious injury.

Stones in the urinary tract
Signs: Cramping episodic attacks of pain that comes and goes in the lower back, side, or groin. Depending on where the stone is located, you may have frequent urination or a sudden, intense urge to urinate.

Substances that increase urine output
Signs: In healthy people without any other symptoms, shortly after drinking caffeinated or alcoholic beverages, or in people who have recently started taking diuretics.

Urinary incontinence
Signs: Involuntary urination, most commonly when bending over, coughing, sneezing, or lifting heavy objects (called stress incontinence).
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