When the Going Gets Tough: Urinary Urgency & Frequency

Urinary urgency and urinary frequency tend to fall in line together, almost like a couple of (wicked) sisters. Most women experience both, with one, the other follows.

Well, ladies, let’s go a little further into detail about these diagnoses. To start, we have urinary urgency: the urgent desire to urinate. Have you ever been in the grocery store line checking out and BAM! You need to rush to the restroom or you might be in some trouble. We’re here to tell you that you’re not alone! We talk to women all the time who lead busy lives and tend to hold their bladder too long. When you overfill the bladder, this may result in urinary leakage. Luckily, with some small lifestyle changes such as avoiding holding your bladder and reducing your fluid intake, you may be able to get these symptoms under control. In some instances where urinary urgency is a little harder to manage, there are medications that can help.

Now, on to urinary frequency. Do you find yourself returning to the restroom after you just went 30 minutes ago? This is a classic case of urinary frequency! There are several behavioral modifications that you can change to help with this issue. Are you constantly drinking a Starbucks or do you carry a large water bottle around because it’s just the thing to do? Believe it or not, this can be your number one issue! Too many fluids can increase the number of times you need to urinate. With that said, ladies, we do not want to dehydrate ourselves. Finding the balance between staying properly hydrated and avoiding drinking when we are not necessarily thirsty, is super important.

Have you tried several things to help with these issues but are still not noticing any benefit? At this point, you may become frustrated and just give up, but DON’T! We at Austin Urogynecology are here to help with your urinary issues and to keep you spending time with friends and family instead of hiding in the restroom!