Why Do Pregnant Women Pee So Much?

There are several reasons like hormone changes and uterus growth, why you might begin feeling more need to pee when you are pregnant.

There are several reasons like hormone changes and uterus growth, why you might begin feeling more need to pee when you are pregnant.

Pregnancycomes with a lot of new experiences. One of the new things you may notice ispregnancypee increase and frequency. When you arepregnant, it's normal to feel the urge to pee a lot, even if you have just come from using the bathroom.

Causes of pregnancy pee increase

There are several reasons why you might begin feeling more need to pee when you are pregnant. They include:

Hormones.During pregnancy, some of your hormones will surge.Progesterone(a hormone from the ovaries) and human chorionic gonadotropin hormone, also known as HCG or the pregnancy hormone, make the blood flow more regularly to your pelvic muscles. Hormones might loosen your pelvic floor muscles, making it hard to hold pee.

Uterus growth.During thethird trimester(six to nine months), your womb gets large enough that it may start pressing against the bladder. This might cause you to experience frequent urges to go to the bathroom. The added pressure on your bladder makes you feel like you need to constantly urinate.

Weak pelvic floor muscles.In some cases, the muscles that support the bladder, bowel, and uterus may become weaker during pregnancy. This may result in a pregnancy pee increase.

Body fluid increases.When you get pregnant, your body produces more fluids than before the pregnancy.

Kidney efficiency.Your kidney will usually increase its efficiency when you start carrying a baby. This, coupled with more fluid production, causes your peeing frequency and amount to increase.

Urinary Leakage

Sometimes you may feel the urge to pee, but when you get to the bathroom, the amount of pee that comes out is tiny compared to the urge you were feeling. Sometimes you might experience some urinary leakage when you:

Managing the frequent urge to pee

It is a good idea to pee as soon as you get the urge to do so. Don'tstressyour bladder trying to hold it in.

Kegel Exercises

If you're uncomfortable with the urine urgency, consider practicing Kegel exercises. Thisexercisehelps in strengthening your pelvic floor muscles. Strong pelvic floor muscles may help you to control urine flow. You basically squeeze the same muscles as if stopping your pee, then hold them for a few seconds and release them. Kegel exercise may also be useful after delivering your baby.

Here is how you perform kegel exercises:

  • Tighten your pelvic floor muscles
  • Hold your muscles for as long as you can, usually more than 10 seconds.
  • Release your muscles.
  • Repeat the exercise as often as possible.

You might consider practicing Kegel exercises even before pregnancy. When your pelvic muscles are strong, you're able to control your urine flow better.

Other Treatment Methods

In addition to Kegel exercises, other treatment methods for pregnancy pee increase may include:

  • Reducingcaffeineintake.Caffeinatedproducts are diuretics, which means they make you urinate more frequently. Reducingcaffeineintake also helps prevent pregnancy complications.
  • Staying hydrated.定期增加bladd喝水er's holding capacity. It's tempting to reduce water intake to reduce trips to the bathroom, but your baby might be at risk if you don't drink enough water.
  • Appropriate exercise.Some exercises, like lifting weights and squats, may cause leaks. To avoid this, try exercises likepilatesthat strengthen your pelvic floor muscles.
  • Lose excess weight.Beingoverweightmay weaken your pelvic floor muscles, causing leakage.
  • Choose the properdiet.Try as much as possible not to eat acidic and spicy foods. These foods may irritate your bladder, thus increasing the number of times you have to pee.
  • Avoiding drinking andsmoking.Alcoholis a diuretic, whilesmokingputs you at risk of experiencing urinaryincontinence.

QUESTION

The first sign of pregnancy is most often:See Answer

Prevention

There isn't much you can do to prevent pee urgency, but you can manage it. It's a naturally occurring process in women who are pregnant. It also has to happen as your baby grows.

Other possible causes of frequent peeing

Although an increase in peeing frequency is normal in pregnancy, it might also be a sign ofurinary tract infectionorgestational diabetes, which isdiabetesthat occurs during pregnancy.

Some signs and symptoms that might help you establish whether you have aurinary tract infectioninclude:

  • Cloudy urine
  • Painwhen urinating
  • Urgency to pee
  • Burning sensation when peeing
  • Foul-smelling urine

Some symptoms that might occur if you havegestational diabetesinclude:

Please consult with your doctor when you feel the urge to pee frequently, especially if it is combined with other symptoms, to ensure it is not caused by an infection. Your doctor can assess whether your pregnancy pee frequency is normal or not.

References

American Pregnancy Association: "Gestational Diabetes."?

National Health Service: "10 ways to stop leaks." "Urinary tract infections (UTIs)." "Urinary incontinence."

Pregnancy, Birth and Baby: "Frequent urination during pregnancy."

Stanford Children’s Health: "Pregnancy Discomforts: When to Call the Doctor."

The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center: "Tips to prevent involuntary urine leakage (incontinence) during and after pregnancy."

The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy: "Pregnancy-related incontinence."
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Urology Care Foundation: "What is Urinary Incontinence?"?