Frequent urination in pregnancy is normal and affects most women. It often starts early in pregnancy, eases a bit in the second trimester, and intensifies again as baby begins to gain weight during the third trimester, closer to the child-birth. Nocturia – urinating two or more times overnight – is also common during pregnancy, and it increases as pregnancy progresses. uncover answers to some frequently asked questions about frequent urination in pregnancy and tips to ease this common pregnancy symptom. What’s included in this post:
Frequent Urination during Pregnancy: Causes | Nocturia | Frequent Urination in pregnancy : First Trimester | Second Trimester | Third Trimester | When will frequent urination ease up in pregnancy? When to get help? Urinary Incontinence
Urinating a lot in Pregnancy & Nocturia
Needing to urinate (pass water, or pee) may often start in early pregnancy, sometimes continuing throughout pregnancy. Nocturia (urinating two or more times overnight) is also common during pregnancy. According to one survey [1], the majority of patients accepted nocturia as a feature of normal pregnancy and regarded it as no more than a minor inconvenience. Less than 4 per cent of patients developing nocturia during pregnancy were distressed by the symptom.
Why do I need to pass urine so often?
Frequent Urination in Early Pregnancy (First trimester)
This is mainly because the blood flow to the woman’s kidneys increases by up to 35 to 60 per cent during early pregnancy. The extra blood flow makes the kidneys produce up to 25 per cent more urine soon after conception. This increased urine production peaks by about 9 to 16 weeks of the pregnancy, then settles down.
Related Reading: Tips to Deal with Nausea during First trimester of Pregnancy
Urination in Mid Pregnancy (Second trimester)
As your pregnancy progresses, your body will produce more urine. This is because your kidneys have to deal with the extra waste from both your increased circulation and your baby. The good news is that your bladder increases in capacity over the course of your pregnancy to deal with this. So you may find that once you’re into your second trimester, the loo breaks ease off a little until late pregnancy.
Frequent Urination in later Pregnancy (Third trimester)
In early pregnancy, your womb is low down in your pelvis. As your baby grows, womb expands and rises to fill up the pelvis and begins to put pressure on your bladder. As the baby grows heavier in third trimester, it begins to move further down into the woman’s pelvis, especially in the weeks just before the birth. Pressure on the urinary bladder is the main reason why pregnant women pass urine frequently in the last 3 months of pregnancy.
How to reduce the need to pass urine?
If you find that you need to get up in the night to pass urine, try cutting out drinks during the late evening. However, make sure you drink plenty of non-alcoholic, caffeine-free drinks during the day. Later in pregnancy, some women find it helps to rock backwards and forwards while they are on the toilet. This lessens the pressure of the womb on the bladder, so you can empty it properly.
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.
Is frequent urination in pregnancy ever a sign of a problem? When to get help
Talk to your doctor if:
- You feel pain or burning when you pass urine.
- You feel a sense of urgency to pass urine, even after a pee.
- You leak urine when you feel the urge to pass urine.
- Your urine smells particularly unpleasant, is cloudy or contains blood.
- You have constant lower abdominal pain.
- You feel generally unwell.
Don’t take any medicines without asking your doctor whether they are safe in pregnancy.
What is urinary incontinence?
Urinary incontinence means leaking urine involuntarily. A few women – particularly women who had urinary incontinence early in pregnancy – continue to have problems with leaking urine long after giving birth. In such cases urinary incontinence may be a sign of worry and may need treatment. Urinary Incontinence is also commonly among elderly people and those with an underlying neurological problem. Read more about other kinds of Urinary Incontinence
[1] STUDIES OF NOCTURIA IN NORMAL PREGNANCY; J. Parboosingh,A. Doig ; First published: October 1973; https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-0528.1973.tb02147.x