Frequent Urination in Women

Also known as an 'overactive bladder', frequent urination is caused by various reasons, like hormonal changes. This condition can be described as the urge to urinate more than usual, along with an increased frequency of urination. It may or may not accompany an increase in the amount of urine released. Pain or burning sensation may also be experienced by the affected person. The causes for frequent urination in women may vary with the symptoms. In some cases, the condition may be temporary, but, if you are experiencing this condition for a long time, you have to seek medical attention to find out the exact cause and take treatment.

What Causes Frequent Urination in Women?

Even though frequent urination is a problem that is commonly faced by women, it does not mean that men are immune to this. Some of the causes for frequent urination are common for both genders. However, women are more inclined to suffer from this condition and this is due to their body constitution and comparatively higher rate of hormonal changes. Let us go through the various causes for increased frequency of urination in women.

Hormonal Changes: This is one of the common causes of frequent urination in women. Variations in hormone levels during menstruation, pregnancy and menopause may increase the frequency of urination. Certain changes in hormone levels affect the stretching ability of the bladder and this increases frequency of urination. This is one of the reasons for women to develop this problem during menopause and pregnancy. In most cases, an increase in urine volume is not noticed.

Multiple Pregnancy: Another cause of frequent urination in females is multiple pregnancy, which may cause reduced bladder support too. This is caused by the weakening of the pelvic floor muscles and bladder muscles, which results in the inability (of the bladder) to hold and release urine properly. This condition may also be found in women with normal pregnancy. This is due to the extra pressure on the bladder (caused by the growing uterus). Apart from that, as in normal pregnancy, hormonal changes happen in multiple one too, thereby contributing to frequent urination.

Urinary Tract Infection: One of the common health problems in women, urinary tract infection, is another cause of frequent urination. Such infections cause inflammation and irritation of the urethral and bladder lining. The affected person will develop an urge to urinate frequently. He/she may also experience pain/burning sensation while urinating and the urine can be cloudy and foul-smelling. In some cases, the urine may contain blood too. In case of lower urinary tract infection, the affected person may find it difficult to urinate, despite the strong urge to do so. The symptoms may vary with the location and severity of the infection.

Interstitial Cystitis: Inflammation of the bladder or interstitial cystitis is another problem, which can cause frequent urination in women. This condition reduces bladder capacity, thereby causing frequent urination (both day and night). Apart from increased frequency of urination, bladder pain is another symptom that is associated with this condition. The symptoms tend to get worse during menstrual cycles and stressful times. The affected person may also experience pain and tenderness in the pelvic region, especially the area between the anus and vagina. This discomfort may get reduced with urination.

Diabetes: A common medical condition, diabetes can also cause increase in frequency of urination in both genders. This symptom is found in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes and is caused by the rising blood glucose levels. The body tries to expel the unused glucose in the blood, through urine. This increases the frequency of urination. It may also happen that this medical condition affects the nerves that control bladder movements and cause urinary incontinence in some people. Those with diabetes are also prone to urinary and vaginal infections. This may also contribute to increased urine output.

Apart from the above said causes of frequent urination in women, there are various other physical as well as medical conditions and lifestyle factors that can cause this problem. The following is a list of such conditions.

• Bladder cancer/Nephritis/Kidney failure
• Bladder infection/Overactive bladder
• Small size of the urinary bladder/Kidney stones
• Tumors on the bladder, ovaries or uterus
• Multiple Sclerosis/Heart diseases
• Aging/Stress/Intake of large amounts of fluids
• Use of medications like diuretics
• Radiation therapy/Hyperthyroidism/Stroke
• Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)
• Regular intake of caffeine/artificial sweeteners/alcohol

Frequent urination in females is normal in certain conditions, like pregnancy, but if you have no such reasons or you are experiencing additional symptoms, like pain, blood in urine, fever, chills, unusual vaginal discharge, fatigue, back pain, etc, then medical attention has to be sought. If it is constant or recurrent, then you have to consult an urologist to find out the underlying cause and treat the condition.

Diagnosis and Treatment for Frequent Urination in Women

It has been noted that frequent urination is usually not associated with an increase in the volume of urine, if it is caused by urinary tract infection, STDs, pregnancy or menopause. If the affected person is also experiencing an increase in urine output, then it could be due to diabetes, use of diuretics, heart or kidney diseases, etc. The underlying cause for frequent urination may vary from one woman to another. So, correct diagnosis is very much important and is made on the basis of individual symptoms. Diagnostic tests like ultrasonography, urinalysis, urine culture, cystoscopy and certain neurological tests are usually used to detect the underlying cause for frequent urination in women. Treating the underlying cause will eliminate this problem. If there is no such cause, you may opt for other self help measures, like kegel exercises, diet modification and reduction in intake of fluids. Bladder retraining is one of the techniques that is found to be useful for remedying this problem. It is nothing other than trying to hold urine for longer intervals, during a course of around three months. With time, the bladder may get trained to hold urine for longer periods, thereby reducing the frequency of urination.

Frequent urination can be prevented to some extent with proper diet and regular exercises. Kegel exercises are said to be very much effective in strengthening the muscles of the pelvic area, thereby preventing problems, like frequent urination. However, those with underlying medical conditions have to get them treated at the earliest. Otherwise too, you have to consult a doctor and diagnose the condition, once you notice the symptoms.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and should not be used as a replacement for expert medical advice. Visiting your physician is the safest way to diagnose and treat any health condition.