Frequent Urination in Pregnancy

Submitted by Pregnancy and Baby Care team on January 31, 2012

Frequent urination in pregnancy is a common side effect and in fact one of the early symptoms of pregnancy. The need to pass urine frequently may occur long before other common symptoms of pregnancy. This may even continue right through to the end of the pregnancy. In the early weeks of pregnancy, the frequency is increased as there is an increase in blood production. This leads to the kidneys passing out more liquid which is then sent to the bladder, therefore leading to more urination. Towards the end of pregnancy when the baby grows larger and drops into the pelvis in preparation for labor, you will...

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...feel even more pressure on your bladder and the urge to relieve yourself often. This may happen more at night at you are in a horizontal position and so the fluid in your body moves towards your bladder. Some women may experience less urgency in the second trimester; others feel the need to urinate frequently throughout their pregnancy.

Do remember that you can control, to a certain extent, this frequent urination. Do not at any cost reduce the amount of fluids you are drinking. Reducing overall fluid intake does not result in avoiding frequent visits to the bathroom and will have a negative impact on your health. The best way is to cut down on the diuretics in your diet. These include tea, coffee and sodas, alcohol and other caffeinated drinks. When relieving yourself, try bending forward as this helps to empty the bladder completely. Often, women find that they need to relieve themselves since they have not emptied their bladders fully. This however, is more common in the later stages of pregnancy. You can help cut down nighttime visits to the bathroom by drinking more fluids during the day.

Frequent urination is a normal side effect of pregnancy. However, at times, this frequent urination may also signify an underlying problem like a urinary tract infection or bladder infection. Symptoms include:

burning during urination
backache
fever
abdominal pain
even more frequent urination.

Do contact your doctor immediately if you have any of the above symptoms. Ignoring a urinary infection could lead to preterm labor or even a kidney infection.

This constant need to urinate will disappear a few days after you deliver the baby. For the first few days, you will be urinating even more frequently and in even larger quantities. This is nature's way of getting rid of all the excess fluid you retained during pregnancy. After this happens, your need to urinate should get back to what it was before pregnancy.

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