Frequent urination is often due to consuming large volumes of liquids. However, some health conditions can also cause frequent urination in someone with a uterus, including pregnancy, bladder stones, and low estrogen levels.
Frequent trips to the bathroom, not sleeping through the night, or refraining from going places for fear that they will leak urine are often familiar to people who experience frequent urination.
Each person may urinate a different number of times per day, depending on how much they drink and how well their kidneys work.
This article explores the causes, symptoms, complications, treatment, and prevention of frequent urination in people with uteruses. It also discusses when to contact a healthcare professional.
The use of binary terms such as “male” and “female” or “men” and “women” in this article reflects the language of the sources we’ve used. Unless otherwise noted, it’s unclear whether the research we reference included participants with expansive gender identities.
Sometimes, frequent urination is due to drinking too many drinks that are known to increase urine production or irritate the bladder. Examples include alcohol and excess caffeine intake through coffee, tea, and certain soft drinks.
However, frequent urination may also be due to a number of medical conditions. Examples include:
Another risk factor for frequent urination is pregnancy. The growing uterus can place extra pressure on the bladder during pregnancy, causing a person to go to the bathroom
Menopause can also affect bladder control. When people who menstruate no longer have their periods, their bodies stop making estrogen. This hormone can impact the lining of the bladder and urethra. As a result, a person may experience the need to urinate more frequently.
Another risk factor for frequent urination is a history of vaginal childbirth. Childbirth can weaken the pelvic floor muscles that hold the bladder in place.
Sometimes, however, frequent urination may be due to damage to the nerves in the bladder as well. Sometimes a person does not experience problems with bladder control immediately after giving birth, but they may experience symptoms years later.
A person may have additional symptoms besides how often they urinate. This may help doctors work out the potential cause of someone’s frequent urination.
Examples include:
- a changing color of the urine, such as red, pink, or brown
- experiencing a sudden, strong urge to urinate
- having trouble completely emptying the bladder
- leaking urine involuntarily
- pain or burning when urinating
Complications associated with urinary frequency often depend on the condition’s underlying cause. For example, if frequent urination is due to a urinary tract infection, a person could experience a severe and systemic infection if left untreated. This
If urinary frequency occurs on its own with no immediately treatable illness, it can affect a person’s well-being. An individual may not be able to sleep well because they have to wake up to go to the bathroom very often. They may also refrain from social events for fear of having to go to the bathroom too frequently.
A doctor will start diagnosing potential underlying causes of frequent urination by asking questions about a person’s health history.
Examples of these questions may include:
- When did you first notice your symptoms starting?
- What makes your symptoms worse? Does anything make them better?
- What medications are you currently taking?
- What is your average daily food and drink intake?
- Do you have any symptoms when you urinate, such as pain, burning, or sensations that you are not emptying your bladder completely?
A doctor may take a urine sample for evaluation. A laboratory can identify the presence of white or red blood cells, as well as other compounds that should not be present in urine, which could indicate an underlying infection.
Other testing may include cystometry, which measures bladder pressure, or cystoscopy, which involves using special instruments to examine the urethra and bladder.
Other diagnostic methods may depend upon a person’s specific symptoms.
If a urinary tract infection is causing frequent urination, taking antibiotics to cure the infection may help.
Other treatments and preventive techniques for frequent urination that is not due to infection include:
- Lifestyle modifications: Avoiding foods and drinks known to irritate the bladder can help someone experience fewer episodes of frequent urination. Examples include avoiding caffeine, alcohol, carbonated beverages, chocolate, artificial sweeteners, spicy foods, and foods that are tomato-based.
- Adjusting patterns of fluid intake: Avoiding drinking too much water before bedtime, for example, can reduce the likelihood of waking up at night to go to the bathroom.
- Bladder retraining: Bladder retraining is another method to reduce the number of times a person goes to the bathroom per day. To accomplish this, they will void on a regular schedule instead of always waiting until they feel the need to urinate.
If possible, a person should use techniques such as relaxation to see whether the need to urinate passes if they feel the need to go before the scheduled time. People should not start a bladder-retraining schedule without discussing it with their doctor first.
In addition to these methods, doctors can prescribe medications that reduce bladder spasms and encourage bladder relaxation, which reduces the urge to urinate.
Examples of medications doctors may prescribe to treat urinary frequency include:
- anti-muscarinics
- beta-3 adrenoceptor agonists, like mirabegron (Myrbetriq) and vibegron (Gemtesa)
- anticholinergics
Sometimes, a doctor will recommend injections of botulinum toxin (BOTOX), which can reduce the incidence of bladder spasms and relax the bladder so that it becomes fuller before a person has the urge to urinate.
If frequent urination is accompanied by symptoms of possible infection, people should see their doctor. Examples include fever, pain when urinating, and pink- or red-tinged urine.
Painful urination or pelvic pain is also a cause for concern, along with frequent urination. A person should also see their doctor any time that they experience symptoms that are uncomfortable to them or that interfere with their quality of life.
Often, there are lifestyle and medical means to treat frequent urination so that a person does not have to experience the symptoms.
Many factors can contribute to frequent urination in a person with a uterus, including pregnancy, menopause, and diabetes.
Additional symptoms someone may experience alongside frequent urination may include changes in urine color, a sudden, strong urge to urinate, and urine leakage.
Treatment for frequent urination can range from avoiding certain foods and beverages to taking medications.
People should contact a healthcare professional if frequent urination does not go away, worsens, or is accompanied by symptoms such as red or pink urine, painful urination, or fever. A doctor can work out the underlying cause of a person’s symptoms and recommend appropriate treatment.