What Is Urinary Retention?
Urinary retention is the inability to completely or partially empty the bladder. Suffering from urinary retention means you may be unable to start urination, or if you are able to start, you can’t fully empty your bladder.
What Are Some Symptoms of Urinary Retention?
Symptoms may include:
- Difficulty starting to urinate.
- Difficulty fully emptying the bladder.
- Weak dribble or stream of urine.
- Loss of small amounts of urine during the day.
- Inability to feel when bladder is full.
- Increased abdominal pressure.
- Lack of urge to urinate.
- Strained efforts to push urine out of the bladder.
- Frequent urination.
- Nocturia (waking up more than two times at night to urinate).
What Are the Causes?
There are two general types of urinary retention: obstructive and non-obstructive. If there is an obstruction (for example, kidney stones), urine cannot flow freely through the urinary tract. Non-obstructive causes include weak bladder muscles and nerve problems that interfere with signals between the brain and the bladder. If the nerves aren’t working properly, the brain may not get the message that the bladder is full.
Some of the most common causes of non-obstructive cases are:
- Stroke
- Vaginal childbirth
- Pelvic injury or trauma
- Impaired muscle or nerve function due to medication or anesthesia.
- Accidents that injure the brain or spinal cord.
Obstructive retention may result from:
- Cancer
- Kidney or bladder stones
- Enlarged prostate (BPH) in men
How Is It Diagnosed?
When you visit the Women’s Center for Pelvic Wellness, Drs. Kimble and Kimble will discuss the potential causes of your symptoms. By understanding your medical history and your day-to-day habits, the doctors can determine whether your symptoms fit the profile. After the doctors learn this and ask other questions, they will make a diagnosis.
Treatment for Urinary Retention in Pasadena, CA
At Women’s Center for Pelvic Wellness, expert urogynecologists, Dr. Alexis May Kimble and Dr. David Kimble can help determine a treatment plan for urinary retention. Call the office at (626) 535-0832 or book an appointment using the form below. Feeling better is just an appointment away.