See your doctor immediately if your bladder feels full but you cannot urinate at all. If your doctor is not available, go to the emergency department.
Don't wait a long time to address difficulty peeing. After 36 to 48 hours of symptoms, it's time to seek a professional diagnosis.
Urinary retention can be caused by a problem with the nerves that control your bladder. This can happen as a result of diabetes, stroke, multiple sclerosis, brain or spinal cord infections or injuries, or pelvic injury.
If a person has a constant urge to pee but little 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.
In men, a blockage can be caused when the prostate gland gets so big that it presses on the urethra. This is the most common cause of chronic urinary retention in men. One cause in women is a bladder that sags. This is called cystocele.
Caffeinated drinks such as coffee, colas, energy drinks, and teas. Acidic fruit juices, especially orange, grapefruit, and tomato. Alcoholic drinks. Carbonated beverages, sodas, or seltzers.
Strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries have high levels of vitamin C, which can help your bladder stave off bad bacteria. Berries have high water content, so they can also help you flush out your urinary tract system throughout the day to avoid UTIs.
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.
Having to work hard to push your urine out can also lead to other problems such as hemorrhoids or a worsening of hernia symptoms, explains Dr. Brito.
Because the bladder can only hold so much fluid volume, increasing water intake will increase the frequency of urination, and may make people with an overactive bladder more likely to leak.
Water waste removed through urination
It generally takes your body 9 to 10 hours to produce 2 cups of urine.
People with acute urinary retention are unable to urinate even though they have a full bladder. 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 retention is treatable, and there is no need to feel embarrassed or ashamed. A doctor can often diagnose the problem. However, in some cases, a person may need a referral to a urologist, proctologist, or pelvic floor specialist for further testing and treatment.
The most common cause of urinary retention is benign prostatic hyperplasia. Other common causes include prostatitis, cystitis, urethritis, and vulvovaginitis; receiving medications in the anticholinergic and alpha-adrenergic agonist classes; and cortical, spinal, or peripheral nerve lesions.
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.
Take a warm bath. If your main symptom is a weak urine stream, then relaxing your lower urinary tract muscles or pelvic floor muscles could be a simple urinary retention remedy. In addition to physical therapy, a warm bath is a good way to relax the muscles and aid urination.
Conclusion: Urinary retention can lead to serious complications, including bladder rupture.
Urinary retention may cause harm to the function of the bladder and the kidneys, incontinence, and may increase the risk of urinary tract infections. Thus, it requires urgent medical attention for evaluation and management. In some cases, hospitalization is required.
Remember, it all depends on how hydrated you are throughout the day. How much you consume other liquids and water during the day will impact the rate at which you pee. If you drink 2 liters of water a day, which is the recommended daily amount, expect to urinate about once every four hours.