Why is there frequent urination during pregnancy?

Urinary Frequency during Pregnancy

Most women notice they have to urinate more urgently and frequently during pregnancy. Frequent urination during pregnancy is a common side effect of pregnancy, and for many is an early sign of pregnancy. Typically anywhere from 6 to 8 weeks of pregnancy women start noticing the need to urinate more frequently. This happens in part as the volume of blood in the body increases significantly, putting the kidneys through extra effort and causing you to empty your bladder more frequently. As the uterus continues to grow and expand, it places more pressure on the bladder and this can make you feel the need to urinate even if the bladder is not full.

While some women experience less urgency during second trimester, others may continue to feel the urge to urinate more frequently throughout their pregnancy. This can be very uncomfortable but is a necessary part of pregnancy.

You may notice that you need to get up to pass urine more often during the night in particular. This is because when you lie down, some of the fluid which you retained in your legs and feet during the day makes its way back into the bloodstream and eventually into your bladder.

Tips for Coping with Frequent Urination

You need to drink plenty of fluid to keep hydrated during pregnancy. Reducing your fluid intake is certainly not the key to avoiding the bathroom frequently. Your best bet is avoiding diuretic fluids which can contribute to the sense of urgency that you feel when you have to urinate. These fluids include caffeine products such as tea, soda or coffee. Try consuming most of the fluids during daytime in order to reduce the number of trips to the bathroom in the middle of the night. While urinating, you may find it helpful to lean forward a bit to ensure that you completely empty out your bladder. Many women find they have to pass urine again shortly after a visit to the bathroom since they were not able to empty their bladder fully. This is more common during later stages of pregnancy.

Incase you have noticed that you are having leakage from your bladder while you laugh, cough or sneeze, then this is an excellent time to start doing Kegel Exercises to strengthen the muscles of pelvic floor. This is an invisible exercise which you should do often several times every day. Maintaining such exercise for the rest of your life shall help preventing future problems related to bladder control.

Is Frequent Urination in Pregnancy Problematic?

Usually frequent urination during pregnancy is a common side effect of pregnancy. But, there are some cases when frequent urination may signal an underlying problem. If the frequent urge to urinate is being accompanied by a burning pain on urinating, you may have a urinary tract infection. Urinary tract infection may also be present if you frequently need to urinate but are not able to pass more than a little amount of fluid.

Urinary tract infections are quite common during pregnancy. If left untreated, they can develop into serious kidney infections. A kidney infection during pregnancy may lead to preterm labor or premature rupture of membranes. It is important to check in with your doctor as soon as possible incase you suspect a urinary tract infection. Fortunately with proper treatment most of them are cleared up in a few short days.