Your body's physical capacity to keep in urine is based on a few things: "Most of the time women can hold urine for three to six hours, but this will vary," says Brucker.
Though a healthy bladder can stretch and accommodate larger volumes of urine, it's important to urinate at regular intervals. “Usually I recommend that you empty your bladder every three hours, whether you have the urge to go or not,” says Nazia Bandukwala, D.O., a urologist at Piedmont.
Doctors recommend emptying the bladder often, about every three hours. But we all know there are circumstances in which it is not possible to do this often. While delaying urinating for an hour or two won't pose any threat to your health, you can harm your body by holding it in for too long or forming a habit.
Holding your urine for too long can weaken the bladder muscles over time. This can lead to problems such as incontinence and not being able to fully empty your bladder. Holding your urine for extremely long periods of time can also cause urinary tract infections due to bacteria build-up.
On average, no. The bladder of a man is on average bigger than that of a woman and the kidneys work equally fast.
Urinary incontinence affects twice as many women as men. This is because reproductive health events unique to women, like pregnancy, childbirth, and menopause, affect the bladder, urethra, and other muscles that support these organs.
There's no doubt that going to the bathroom after holding it for a long time is an enjoyable relief, but for some women it offers something even more pleasurable. They're called “peegasms,” a kind of full-body orgasmic feeling that some say they experience if they've been waiting a long time to go to the bathroom.
There's currently no official record set for the longest someone has gone without peeing, but holding it in is not advised. According to msn.com, no serious health problems have been linked to holding urine too long.
Over time, consistent pushing when you pee (or poop) may cause your pelvic floor muscles to weaken, leading to pelvic organ prolapse, a condition where one of your pelvic organs (the bladder, uterus, or rectum) collapses into the vaginal canal. You could develop, or worsen, hemorrhoids.
If there's no reason found for the frequent urination, a physician might recommend holding the pee to retrain the bladder and reduce bathroom visits. In general, this might include waiting for at least 15 minutes when the urge to pee hits, to see if it's truly necessary to go right away or if it can wait.
Urinary bladder and urethra
The urinary bladder can store up to 500 ml of urine in women and 700 ml in men. People already feel the need to urinate (pee) when their bladder has between 200 and 350 ml of urine in it.
This is because your bladder and pelvic muscles have remained clenched for too long. Even after urinating, it might be difficult to completely relax these muscles, and they can begin to spasm and cause pain.
Pain can occur at the start of urination or after urination. Pain at the start of your urination is often a symptom of a urinary tract infection. Pain after your urination can be a sign of a problem with the bladder or prostate.
Call your doctor if your baby or child has a dry mouth, fewer tears than usual, and no wet diapers or hasn't urinated in more than 6 hours. Get emergency help right away if your child or baby is very sleepy and hard to wake up, or if your baby or child hasn't had any wet diapers or hasn't urinated in 12 or more hours.
Feeling as if you need to pee right after you pee is a symptom of a urinary tract infection. It could also happen if you consume bladder irritants like alcohol, coffee, or chocolate. Frequent urination can also be a symptom of conditions like interstitial cystitis or pelvic issues.
A urinary tract infection (UTI)
Besides frequent urination, signs of a UTI include fever, a burning feeling when you pee, discolored urine and constantly feeling like you need to pee (even after peeing). You may also feel bladder pressure or discomfort in your back or around your pelvis.
On average, it shouldn't take longer than 30 seconds to urinate, Freedland said. “Once you get going and it takes you a minute to empty your bladder, that's a problem. That's not normal.” How you position your body can also help, experts said.
From house cats to elephants, most mammals take about 20 seconds to urinate. That goes for humans as well. If going No. 1 isn't clocking in at around 20 seconds, you might want to look at your daily habits.
The normal bladder fills and empties in cycles. Urine production by the kidneys is continuous – about 1ml per minute or 60ml an hour.
Mistake #4: Pushing
You shouldn't have to use your muscles to force urine out. A healthy bladder works best if the body just relaxes so that the bladder muscles naturally contract to let the urine flow, rather than using the abdominal muscles to bear down as with a bowel movement.
A tube called the urethra leads from the bladder through the prostate and penis to the outside of the body. Around this tube is a ring of muscles called the urinary sphincter. As the bladder fills with urine, nerve signals tell the sphincter to stay squeezed shut while the bladder stays relaxed.
Causes of urinary incontinence
Urge incontinence is usually the result of overactivity of the detrusor muscles, which control the bladder. Overflow incontinence is often caused by an obstruction or blockage in your bladder, which prevents it from emptying fully.
The short answer: It's fine to pee in the shower. That's according to Jamin Brahmbhatt, MD, PUR Clinic urologist and Assistant Professor at UCF College of Medicine in Florida, who knows more about urine than most people.