Urinating frequently early pregnancy

Frequent Urination During Pregnancy | Pampers

You may be wondering whether peeing a lot is a sign of pregnancy or whether this urge to pee so often will ever go away. Frequent urination is a common early pregnancy symptom, but it can also reappear later on during pregnancy as your uterus and baby grow, putting pressure on your bladder. Although it can definitely be annoying, in most cases, it's nothing to worry about. Read on to find out what causes frequent urination during pregnancy, get some tips to help you manage it, and learn the signs that indicate it may be linked to another condition, like a urinary tract infection.

What Causes Frequent Urination During Pregnancy?

What makes you need to pee more is often the increased amount of blood in your body. To process this blood flow, your kidneys need to produce extra fluids, which then end up in your bladder. Although peeing often during pregnancy is annoying, it's also a normal and common pregnancy symptom. Here are some frequently asked questions about this symptom:

What is considered frequent urination in pregnancy? There's no set number of visits to the bathroom – it's simply needing to go more often than you usually would.
When does frequent urination start during pregnancy? How soon it may start differs for each woman, but you may find yourself needing to pee more often from around six to eight weeks of pregnancy.
Will I need to pee this often the whole pregnancy? It may ease up for a while after you enter the second trimester, but you may find the increased urge to pee returns later on, as your growing baby places more pressure on your bladder. Toward the end of the third trimester, when your baby “drops," the extra pressure on your pelvis and bladder might have you rushing to pee even more frequently.
How often should you pee? Whenever you have to! It's better not to hold it in.

Tips to Manage Peeing Often While Pregnant

You can't really avoid more frequent urination, and you really wouldn't want to, as it's a natural consequence of drinking lots of fluids to stay well hydrated and healthy during pregnancy. Here are some tips that might help make your life easier:

Lean forward when you pee so that you properly empty your bladder
To prevent increased urination at night, try not to drink too much water just before going to bed
Avoid beverages and foods containing caffeine, which can make you need to pee more often. (Read our article to find out more about what not to eat or drink while you're pregnant.)
Practice Kegel exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles, as this can help prevent leaking when you cough, sneeze, or laugh, both before and after giving birth. (If you do find yourself peeing when you sneeze, consider wearing a panty liner.)
If your urine is dark yellow or orange, this may be a sign of dehydration − try to increase your fluid intake until your urine is back to a normal pale yellow
If you're heading out the door, or you know you're going into a long meeting, consider one more dash to the toilet beforehand. You can also try to scout out where the nearest bathroom so you're not caught off guard.

Can Pregnancy Peeing Be a Sign of a Problem?

More frequent urination is usually a normal pregnancy symptom. However, sometimes it can be a sign of a medical condition that may require treatment by your healthcare provider. These conditions include:

Urinary tract infection (UTI). Many women wonder whether frequent urination is part of pregnancy or a UTI. If it's a UTI, you may notice a painful, burning sensation while peeing, have a fever, notice cloudy urine, or see blood in the toilet. You may also feel the strong urge to pee, but then only a few drops will come out. Pregnant women face an increased risk of UTI from week 6 to week 24, because the growing uterus can place pressure on the urinary tract, increasing the chance of bacterial infections. If you suspect you have a UTI, consult your healthcare provider, as this infection requires treatment – often antibiotics.
Gestational diabetes. Frequent urination can sometimes be a sign of gestational diabetes, generally a temporary form of diabetes that affects a small percentage of moms-to-be. Healthcare providers usually test for gestational diabetes between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy. If gestational diabetes is treated, then the baby's health isn't adversely impacted, and the diabetes will usually go away after you give birth. If you notice symptoms like frequent urination combined with persistent thirst, nausea, or fatigue, consult your healthcare provider.

Frequent urination during early pregnancy is common and usually nothing to worry about. Although it may feel as if you are peeing all the time, keep in mind that it may ease up for a time, before returning later on. Once your baby is born, your urge to pee more often should go away, and you'll only have your newborn's pee to worry about!

Causes and what to do

Urinating more frequently than normal is common during pregnancy. As a standalone symptom, it is not a cause for concern, but a pregnant person should consult their doctor if they experience pain while urinating or other symptoms of a urinary tract infection (UTI).

Frequent urination is a common early sign of pregnancy. Urinary frequency initially occurs due to increased levels of the hormones progesterone and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG).

While some pregnant people may experience mild changes, others may feel the need to continuously run to the bathroom throughout the day and night.

Frequency can also reappear later in the pregnancy as the uterus and baby continue to grow, creating pressure on the bladder.

Pregnant people who have a fever or chills, or notice a burning sensation while urinating, should seek immediate medical attention as it could be a urinary tract infection (UTI). Other symptoms may include back pain or a sharp increase in the need to urinate in a small period of time.

In this article, we discuss the causes and symptoms of frequent urination during pregnancy, how to manage and prevent frequent urination, how long it lasts, and outlook.

Although symptoms may vary from person to person, many pregnant people notice they begin to need to urinate more frequently during their first trimester (week 1 to week 12). Some people may also experience leakage or stress urinary incontinence (SUI) while pregnant as the fetus grows and presses down on the bladder, urethra, and pelvic floor muscles.

The Office on Women’s Health notes that leakage may occur when:

sneezing
coughing
laughing
exercising
lifting something
walking

Sometimes urinary frequency symptoms indicate an underlying condition, such as a UTI — an infection of the urinary system.

In addition to urgency, other symptoms of a UTI include:

blood in the urine
cloudy or foul-smelling urine
lower abdominal pain
nausea
pain or burning when urinating
loss of bladder control

Pregnant people are at increased risk for UTIs. According to one study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 8% of pregnant people develop a UTI.

If left untreated, a UTI can pose a serious health risk to a pregnant person and their developing fetus.

Doctors can often diagnose urinary frequency based on a person’s symptoms. In addition to doing a physical examination, they may ask a series of questions about how often the person is going to the restroom and how much they are urinating with each trip.

They may also ask about:

changes in the smell, color, or consistency of the urine
daily fluid consumption
the pattern of frequency (i.e. when it started and what time of day symptoms occur)

If a doctor suspects that the symptoms are not pregnancy-related, they may order one or more diagnostic tests.

Tests may include:

urinalysis
ultrasound
cystoscopy
bladder stress test
sexually transmitted infection (STI) tests

Frequent urination is an early sign of pregnancy and can begin as early as the first couple of weeks following conception.

Most people, however, may begin to experience urgency in weeks 10 to 13, as this is when the uterus begins to push on the bladder.

After an embryo implants in the uterus, the body produces progesterone and hCG, both of which are pregnancy hormones that can lead to urgency.

During pregnancy, the body’s blood supply increases to support the fetus. Approximately 20–25% of a person’s blood filters through the kidneys and leaves the body as waste or urine. The more blood a person’s body produces, the harder their kidneys have to work to flush the extra fluid.

Pressure is another contributing factor. As the uterus expands, it pushes down on the bladder, urethra, and pelvic floor muscles, increasing the urge to urinate.

Pelvic floor exercises, also known as Kegel exercises, can strengthen the muscles of the pelvis and urethra and support the bladder. Performing Kegel exercises during pregnancy may help some people regain control over their urine flow.

Kegel exercises are safe to perform during pregnancy and after childbirth.

To perform Kegel exercises, empty the bladder and then follow these steps:

Relax the abdomen, chest, thighs, and buttocks.
Tighten the pelvic floor muscles and hold for 5 to 10 seconds.
Relax the muscles for 5 to 10 seconds.
Repeat 10 times.

The National Association for Continence (NAFC) recommends doing 10 repetitions three times per day.

Staying hydrated by drinking eight to 12 cups of water per day is vital during pregnancy. However, there are a few things a pregnant person can do to ease the flow, including:

cutting down on fluids before bed
avoiding caffeinated drinks
leaning forward when urinating
keeping a bladder journal or recording bathroom breaks

The average person goes to the bathroom between 6 and 7 times per day, though this number can vary depending on what the person drinks and how often.

Urinating between four and 10 times per day can also be “normal” as long as the person is healthy and comfortable with how often they visit the restroom.

For pregnant people, this number will depend on the individual’s “normal.” For example, if a person typically uses the restroom eight times per day, becoming pregnant may increase their visits to 10 times per day.

Pregnancy-related urinary frequency may ease up in the second trimester but usually returns in the final weeks of the pregnancy. Once the baby is born, a more frequent than usual urge to go to the bathroom should go away.

Frequent urination is a normal pregnancy symptom. However, it also can be a sign of an underlying condition that may require medical treatment.

Pregnant people who show additional symptoms of a UTI, including painful urination, should contact their doctor as soon as possible.

Frequent urination is a part of being pregnant and should resolve after childbirth.

However, some pregnant people may experience symptoms up to six weeks after giving birth.

Pregnant people who experience pain with urination or who are still having bladder problems following birth should make an appointment to see their doctor.

Many people experience urinary frequency during pregnancy, especially in the first and third trimesters.

Unless the frequency is accompanied by burning or painful urination, or other potential signs of a UTI, there is usually no need for concern.

Urinary frequency generally will subside once the baby is born.

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.

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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.

1st trimester of pregnancy: what happens to the fetus

1st trimester of pregnancy: what happens to the fetus - Private maternity hospital Ekaterininskaya Clinics

1st trimester: 1st to 12th weeks

The gestational age is calculated from the first day of the last menstrual period, since it is difficult to determine the exact day of conception. Since conception usually occurs in the middle of the menstrual cycle, you are not actually pregnant during the first two weeks, but this period is counted as the beginning of pregnancy.

As soon as the fertilization of the egg occurs around the 3rd week, the hormones begin to produce changes in your body little by little. As a result, you may experience some of the following symptoms:

Morning sickness. As a result of rising levels of hormones characteristic of pregnancy, up to 80% of women in the 1st trimester experience morning sickness with symptoms such as nausea and vomiting. The idea that such malaise is observed only in the morning is a common misconception. In fact, symptoms can appear at any time of the day or night. Up to 1 in 5 women experience morning sickness in the 2nd trimester of pregnancy and can sometimes persist throughout pregnancy.
If you experience morning sickness, avoid foods that make you sick, eat little and often, avoid fatty and spicy foods, drink more water. If you experience severe symptoms or symptoms that bother you, see your doctor.
Breast changes. The mammary glands will begin to increase in size, soreness may appear. The nipples will increase in size, become darker and more protruding.
Fatigue. High levels of the hormone progesterone can make you feel tired and sleepy. Rest as often as possible in a horizontal position with your legs up and eat as well as possible, which is not easy if you are experiencing morning sickness!
Increased emotionality. A higher level of emotionality, manifested as a result of an increase in hormone levels, is normal. Understanding and patience on the part of your partner and loved ones is very important here.
Food likes and dislikes. You may find yourself intolerant of one food and addicted to another. This is usually not a problem, unless you feel like eating weird foods like chalk. If you are concerned about the situation, contact your doctor.
Frequent urination. As your fluid levels increase and your uterus puts pressure on your bladder, you will become more likely to visit the toilet. Go to the toilet as soon as you feel the need - this minimizes the pressure on the bladder.
Feeling of dizziness. Sometimes you may feel a little dizzy (this is due to hormonal changes). Try not to stay on your feet for a long time and slowly rise from a sitting or lying position. If you experience severe dizziness, contact your doctor immediately.
Heartburn and constipation. Your digestive system will slow down to give you more time to digest your food. This can lead to heartburn and constipation. To help manage heartburn, try to eat small meals at regular intervals and avoid fried or spicy foods and carbonated drinks. Constipation is helped by eating a diet rich in fiber, maintaining physical activity and drinking plenty of water.

1st trimester milestones

Approximately 7 days after fertilization, the embryo implants in the uterine wall. The placenta, umbilical cord and amniotic sac will begin to form to provide nourishment and protection to the embryo.
By the end of the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, the uterus is palpable through the wall of the abdomen, the abdomen will begin to grow.

Child development in the 1st trimester of pregnancy

By the end of the 1st trimester:

All the main organs of the baby are formed, the circulatory system works.
The development of the genital organs has begun.
Fingers are formed on the hands and feet, nails have appeared.
Facial features have formed.
The length of the baby's body is about 6 cm from the head to the lower part of the body, he is already recognizable. The baby moves in the amniotic sac, but you don't feel it move yet.