Urinary retention
If you can’t pass urine even though you feel the need to, and your bladder is full, that is known as urinary retention.
Symptoms usually come on suddenly and may become very painful as you feel desperate to relieve your bladder, but can’t.
Acute urinary retention needs urgent medical attention and your bladder may need to be emptied using a urinary catheter, which is a long soft tube.
There are many different causes of urinary retention, but some of the most common are:
- recent surgery in the genital, prostate, rectal, pelvic or lower abdominal area
- medical conditions such as diabetes or multiple sclerosis
- injury to the genital or pelvic region
- constipation
- some medicines
- some infections or inflammation.
Chronic retention
Sometimes urinary retention comes on more gradually and a person slowly notices that they cannot fully empty their bladder. This type of urinary retention may take months or years to develop and is not usually painful.
Looking after yourself
If you are having problems passing urine, there are a number of things you can do that may help manage the condition:
- Try urinating in a bath of warm water.
- Turn on the taps of the sink or basin and let the water trickle. Sometimes the sound of running water helps to start urination.
If you think you cannot urinate because of your medication, you should not stop taking your medicines until you have been advised it is safe to do so by your doctor.
If you are in pain, get advice on pain relief medicines you can take.
Not sure what to do next?
If you are still concerned about your urinary retention, why not use healthdirect’s online Symptom Checker to get advice on when to seek medical attention.
The Symptom Checker guides you to the next appropriate healthcare steps, whether it’s self care, talking to a health professional, going to a hospital or calling triple zero (000).
Last reviewed: July 2015
