Frequent urination during pregnancy

What is frequent urination?

Frequent urination simply means that you're needing to pee more often than you normally would. It's very common in pregnancy.

Most people urinate between six and seven times in a 24-hour period. (But between four and 10 can also be normal.) Frequent urination – going more than seven times a day – affects 80 to 95 percent of women at some point during pregnancy.

Nocturia – urinating two or more times overnight – is also common during pregnancy, and it increases as pregnancy progresses. According to one survey, 86 percent of women reported nocturia by the third trimester. Of these, 20 percent said they urinated three or more times each night.

When does frequent urination during pregnancy start?

Frequent urination can start very early in pregnancy – as early as the first couple of weeks. Some women don't notice a change until around week 10 to 13, though, as the uterus starts pushing on the bladder.

The need to pee often may decrease a bit in the second trimester, as your uterus rises higher in the abdomen and takes pressure off your bladder. It'll return later in pregnancy, though, as your baby moves down in preparation for labor and delivery and presses on your bladder again.

Is frequent urination normal during pregnancy?

Yes, frequent urination is normal during pregnancy. The problem will vary from one woman to another, though, depending on physical differences – in other words, how your organs are arranged. Even slight differences in how your uterus sits in relationship to your bladder can make a difference in how often you feel the urge to go. Differences in changing hormones may also play a part.

Some women will hardly notice a change, while others will feel as if they're spending most of the day – and night – in the bathroom.

What causes frequent urination during pregnancy?

A lot of changes contribute to your need to urinate often during pregnancy, such as:

• The amount of blood in your body nearly doubles during pregnancy. This means there's more fluid for your kidneys to process.
• Your kidneys get more efficient at getting rid of waste, which means your bladder will fill up more often – and you'll need to empty it more often.
• Hormonal changes cause your ligaments to soften and loosen, including the ligaments of the urethra, which means you'll be less able to hold your urine.
• Later in pregnancy, you growing uterus will put pressure on your bladder, leaving less room for urine and more frequent urges to pee.
• At the end of pregnancy, when the baby drops into your pelvis, they'll press on your bladder, increasing the urge to go even more.
• When you sleep, your body absorbs fluid in your legs, increasing your urine output. This may be especially significant if you have swelling in your lower legs and feet. That's in part because when you lie down, your legs are level with your upper body. This makes it easier for your blood to carry some of the fluid you retained during the day to your bladder – now that it doesn't have to work against gravity.

What is urinary incontinence?

Urinary incontinence means leaking urine. It may be all of the urine in your bladder, or it may be just a few drops. There are three types of urinary incontinence:

• Stress urinary incontinence. Both the pressure of your uterus on your bladder and weak  – or overactive – pelvic floor muscles may cause you to leak urine when you cough, laugh, sneeze, lift heavy objects, or do certain types of exercise, like jogging. This is called stress urinary incontinence (SUI), and it's most likely to happen in your third trimester or in the postpartum period.
• Urgency urinary incontinence. If you have a sudden, strong urge to urinate – and sometimes leak on the way to the bathroom – it's called urgency urinary incontinence.
• Mixed incontinence means that you have symptoms of both types of incontinence, SUI and urgency urinary incontinence.

Some tips if you're experiencing urinary incontinence:

• You may be able to prevent incontinence somewhat by not letting your bladder get too full, so don't ignore the urge to pee. And remember to empty your bladder before exercising.
• Ask your healthcare practitioner about doing Kegel exercises, which strengthen the muscles of the pelvic floor. In some cases, this may help minimize stress incontinence caused by weak pelvic floor muscles. (Incontinence caused by an overactive pelvic floor, on the other hand, requires relaxation, not tension.)
• If need be, wear a mini pad or panty liner to catch any leaks. (Keep fresh pads handy in your purse or diaper bag.)

Learn more tips for how to stop leaking urine during pregnancy.

Is frequent urination in pregnancy ever a sign of a problem?

Frequent urination can be a sign of a urinary tract infection (UTI), the most common kind of bacterial infection in pregnant women. Left untreated, a UTI can lead to a kidney infection, preterm labor, or both. Talk to your healthcare provider if you have any of these symptoms:

• Pain or burning when you urinate
• Blood-tinged urine
• Lower abdominal pain or pelvic discomfort
• Back pain
• Feeling the need to urinate even when you've just urinated or if you're only able to produce a few drops at a time
• Fever
• Cloudy or foul-smelling urine
• Nausea (other than the usual morning sickness you may be experiencing)
• Stress incontinence that is more than just a couple of drops

How can I avoid having to urinate so frequently during pregnancy?

Needing to urinate often is an unavoidable fact of life for most pregnant women. Cutting back on overall fluids isn't a good idea, because it's important for you to stay hydrated. The Institute of Medicine recommends that pregnant women drink 10 8-ounce cups of water or other beverages every day, more or less – whatever is enough that your urine looks pale yellow or clear, not dark yellow or cloudy.

Here are some tips to help limit the number of times you need to visit the bathroom while still staying hydrated:

• Skip certain beverages. Limit your consumption of coffee, tea, and soda, because these are all diuretics, meaning they increase urine production and make you need to pee more often. (Alcohol is also a diuretic.)
• Empty your bladder. When you pee, lean forward to empty your bladder completely.
• Don't hold it. Go to the bathroom as soon as you feel the need. Waiting can actually weaken your pelvic floor muscles in the long run.
• Cut back at bedtime. To limit the number of times you need to get up overnight, you can try drinking plenty of fluids during the day, then cutting back for a few hours before you go to bed. Just make sure you don't go thirsty in the attempt to make bathroom visits less frequent. Be sure to light your way to the bathroom with night lights, for your safety and ease of returning to sleep.

When will frequent urination during pregnancy ease up?

You can expect to start urinating less soon after your baby is born. For the first few days postpartum, you'll urinate in greater quantities and even more often as your body gets rid of the extra fluid from pregnancy. After about five days, you'll probably be urinating less, and by your six-week postpartum visit, your pee schedule will likely be back to normal.

A few women – particularly women who had urinary incontinence early in pregnancy – continue to have problems with leaking urine long after giving birth. If you still have urinary incontinence or any other bothersome symptoms, talk to your healthcare provider.

Frequent urination is a common pregnancy symptom. But with new symptoms popping up all the time, it can be hard to know what's par for the pregnancy course and what's potentially serious. Our article on pregnancy symptoms you should never ignore can help.

Learn more:

• Vaginal discharge during pregnancy
• Constipation during pregnancy
• Hemorrhoids during pregnancy