Urine voiding problems in women can be caused by a variety of conditions, including urinary retention, prolapsed bladder, urinary tract infections, and the effects of menopause and pregnancy.
A woman may experience urinary retention if her bladder sags or moves out of the normal position, a condition called cystocele. The bladder can also sag or be pulled out of position by a sagging of the lower part of the colon, a condition called rectocele. Some people have urinary retention from rectoceles.
What could be wrong? The need to strain or push in order to urinate can be due to problems with the contractile force of the bladder or problems with obstruction of the bladder outlet and urethra.
The causes of urinary retention are related to either a blockage that partially or fully prevents urine from leaving your bladder or urethra, or your bladder not being able to maintain a strong enough force to expel all the urine.
One of the most common causes of a strong urge to urinate with little urine produced is a UTI, or urinary tract infection. UTIs result when bacteria travel up your urethra to your bladder, and over 8 million Americans require medical attention for this common infection every year.
If a person has a constant urge to pee but nothing comes out when they go, they may have an infection or other health condition. If a person frequently needs to pee but little comes out when they try to go, it can be due to a urinary tract infection (UTI), pregnancy, an overactive bladder, or an enlarged prostate.
Symptoms can include pain in the side, decreased or increased urine flow, and urinating at night. Symptoms are more common if the blockage is sudden and complete. Testing can include insertion of a urethral catheter, insertion of a viewing tube into the urethra, and imaging tests.
Oliguria is the medical term for low urine output. If you have a blockage, your kidneys are producing urine but you aren't able to excrete it. If you aren't producing urine, you may have diseases of the kidneys, heart or lungs. The best way to treat oliguria depends on what is causing the low urine output.
Acute urinary retention can cause severe pain and be life threatening. If you are suddenly unable to urinate, it's important that you seek emergency medical treatment right away.
Urinary tract infections (UTI) are the most common cause of frequent urination. These are bacterial infections in your bladder, urethra or other parts of your urinary tract. They include cystitis (bladder infection), urethritis (infection of the urethra) and pyelonephritis (kidney infection).
Two of the most common causes of chronic urinary retention in women are bladder muscle dysfunction and obstruction.
With acute urinary retention, a health care professional will immediately drain the urine from your bladder using a catheter. Removing the urine from the bladder eases your pain and helps prevent your bladder and kidneys from being damaged.
"Unfortunately, urinary incontinence isn't likely to go away on its own. The good news, however, is that there are things that you can do on your own to improve it, and there are plenty of options for treating it," adds Dr.
Every woman goes on her own schedule, but generally, peeing 6-8 times in 24 hours is considered normal for someone who is healthy, and isn't pregnant. If you're going more often than that, you may be experiencing frequent urination. Frequent urination can happen on its own and isn't always a sign of a health problem.
The amount of time that a person can hold in their pee depends on several factors, such as how much they have had to drink. If a person feels the need to urinate, they should only hold in their pee for as long as it takes to reach a restroom. When a person is awake, they should urinate about every 3–4 hours .
Urinary stones can also block the flow of urine out of your body. Urinary retention can also be caused by certain medications. Drugs like antihistamines (Benadryl®), antispasmodics (like Detrol®), opiates (like Vicodin®) and tricyclic antidepressants (like Elavil®) can change the way the bladder muscle works.
Urinary tract obstruction, or obstructive uropathy, is when the flow of your urine becomes blocked. This may occur through your ureter, bladder, or urethra, preventing a natural flow through these essential areas. It can either be partially or fully blocked due to some type of obstruction.
Symptoms of a blocked ureter or urinary tract obstruction include: Pain in your abdomen, lower back or sides below your ribs (flank pain). Fever, nausea or vomiting. Difficulty urinating or emptying your bladder.
You may not have symptoms until the stones move down the tubes (ureters) through which urine empties into your bladder. When this happens, the stones can block the flow of urine out of the kidneys.
In turn, the kidneys will only be able to make highly concentrated urine that irritates the bladder. Therefore, staying hydrated by drinking plenty of water throughout the day is one of the essential pieces of any treatment plan for urinary retention.
The bladder stores urine until the person finds an appropriate time and place to urinate. A normal bladder acts Page 2 2 Urinary Retention like a reservoir and can hold 1.5 to 2 cups of urine. How often a person needs to urinate depends on how quickly the kidneys produce the urine that fills the bladder.