What is urinary retention?
Urinary retention (UR) is the inability to empty the bladder. People with this condition are unable to urinate, or they feel frequent urges but only urinate small amounts.
Symptoms of urinary retention
- Hesitancy — experiencing difficulty when starting to urinate
- Frequent small voids — urinating only a small amount, often resulting in frequent trips to the restroom
- Slow urine stream — needing to strain when urinating, or having a slow urine stream
- Post-void fullness — lower abdominal bloating or discomfort after urinating
How is urinary retention treated?
Your treatment journey starts with a conversation. Schedule an appointment with a provider that specializes in urinary retention, who can evaluate symptoms and guide next steps.
Consult your doctor
The first step is to talk to a provider that specializes in urinary retention. They can confirm the cause of your retention and rule out other causes.
- Discuss your symptoms
- Tracking bathroom visits and fluid intake over several days helps paint a clearer picture of bladder behavior
- Start a baseline bladder diary
- Track daily habits, fluid intake, and urinary patterns. This step provides valuable insight for tailoring care
- Undergo recommended diagnostic tests
- Your doctor may recommend tests to better understand bladder function and rule out other conditions
- Discuss treatment options
- Based on symptoms and test results, a doctor can recommend a personalized treatment plan
Initial support
Your doctor may recommend the following approaches first:
- Behavioral management
- Adjusting daily habits, practicing bladder training, doing pelvic floor exercises, and following a scheduled bathroom routine can help improve bladder control and reduce urinary symptoms
- Alpha-blocker medications (for men with prostate enlargement)
- Medications may relax bladder muscles, helping to improve urine flow and reduce symptoms of retention
Advanced therapies
If you were not satisfied with the results, there are advanced options that may provide lasting relief.
- Sacral Neuromodulation (SNM)
- This minimally invasive therapy may help restore normal communication between the brain and the bladder and bowel by providing stimulation
- Intermittent self-catheterization
- A process where the patient inserts a temporary catheter through the urethra to fully drain urine from the bladder at regular intervals throughout the day
- Surgical intervention
- May be recommended when other treatments do not provide relief, and can include procedures to improve urine flow such as prostate surgery, urethral dilation, or bladder neck reconstruction
