Needing the loo all the time

[RoseNarene]

Hiya!

As the title states! I can’t say when the problem began, only that it’s been since I had children, though not necessarily straight after. The last one was born 2016; I don’t think it happened before then. Both births were by c-section.

I just feel the need to go to the loo more frequently than is normal. I can hold it in, but it causes discomfort and, eventually, pain. I don’t leak. I can go to the toilet, go to bed, and then need to go to the loo again 10 minutes later. There’s always something to expel, but not always a lot. It’s inconsistent, too. Sometimes I can go several hours without needing to go. Sometimes there’s a lot coming out, sometimes not. No matter how much urine there is, the urge to go is still there. Which is silly; why should I get that urge when my bladder isn’t even nearly full?

I’ve had STI checks and they’ve all been negative, and I know it’s not a water infection. I’ve been to the docs and they did urine tests and all came back normal. They didn’t know what to do, except suggest retraining my bladder to hold more. I tried this, but it causes me so much discomfort that I had to stop.

I guess what it feels like is that something is putting pressure on my bladder, but not all the time, to force me to need the loo.

has anyone else had this? It’s driving me crazy.

Have you tried cutting out caffeine ?
Are you peri menopause age ?

Sounds a bit like interstitial cystitis. Amitryptiline really helps apparently.

I had that for many years (I'm 63 now, it started when I was in my 40s). My GP diagnosed Overactive Bladder and gave me various tablets - none made any real difference. I insisted on being referred to a Urologist and went a few years ago. He did the usual tests and scans and told me to cut out all caffeine - coffee, tea, chocolate, and Cola (I've never drank fizzy stuff). I was very sceptical, but in a month, the difference was astonishing, and I've not had a problem since.

That's so interesting @RollOnWinter how long were you experiencing symptoms for prior to this?

OP, I've had the same problem since April 2021. Scans, procedures all look normal except my bladder doesn't empty fully. I am always left with around 100mls urine.

They originally thought overactive bladder but as the scans keep finding residual urine it looks more like a problem with the detrusor muscles not working as they should and not being able to get all the urine out.

@RollOnWinter what did your scans show? Any residual urine?

Read something interesting recently. Stay on loo for at least a minute, women rush it apparently. You get a second flow

eatingasatsuma I had the symptoms for about 15 years! As I say, I'd been diagnosed as having an Overactive Bladder, for all those years. Scans didn't show anything - no residual urine in the bladder, nothing. On very bad days, I'd need to have a wee about 30 times a day. It was a nightmare, I couldn't go anywhere without needing to find a toilet all the time. Now I'm "normal" though I wee about 12 times a day - the "normal" amount is about 8 times a day.

@RollOnWinter thank you for replying! Did you have decaf tea/coffee?

I have an overactive bladder I recently started taking the Jude supplement and it's been amazing!

Certainly worth cutting out caffeine.
Really helped when I did 20 odd years ago.

I have cut out caffeinated drinks but I must admit not chocolate. And I still drink decaf drinks.

@gunnersgold what's the Jude supplement pls?

Do you have any other symptoms? Bloating? Tiredness?

https://wearejude.com/ecommerce/products/bladder-care-supplements?utmsource=google&utmmmedium=paid&utmcampaign=17287563049&utmmcontent=135562231086&utmterm=&gadid=598567712817&gclid=CjwKCAjwquWVBhBrEiwAt1Kmwh5wsXB8kaSRwojDBYXdUCsZaktEug1fZlM3tynn7LWWPLTTpkChhoCgfQQAvDDBwE

Could it be a vaginal prolapse? I have one and could have written your post. I think the cure is surgery but I’m not bad enough to want to explore that route yet.

I have this. It's fibroids. They press on my bladder and make me either want to go, or block stuff slightly so that I don't fully empty my bladder. Then 5 mins later I need to go again.

Please don't self diagnose. The reason I asked if you had any other symptoms, is because my Sister had the same symptom. For 2 years she was told she had a weak bladder and was given injections, but it didn't help. She changed doctors and raised it again, by which time she had bloating. She was sent for tests & diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer at 36.

Symptoms:

• frequent need to pee
• bloating
• feeling full quickly
• tiredness

Any woman that has any one of these symptoms should ask for a CA125 blood test.
This isn't meant to scare you, just to ensure you are not fobbed off by your GP. There is something causing this & they need to explore all possibilities to find an answer. So many women are let down by the system.

I don’t think it’s ovarian cancer; I don’t have any of the other symptoms, apart from tiredness! But then I’m a full time working single mum with two young children, so that’s to be expected. I’ve been constantly tired ever since I had children!!

I’m 36 and have not been through the menopause.

I do drink a lot of tea and coffee so I will try cutting out the caffeine and see if that works. I will return to let you all know how it goes! Thank you so much to everyone replying.

Just to echo a previous poster, do you have a prolapse? That can cause real difficulty with urination.

I was diagnosed with irritable bladder syndrome last week. Kind of left to deal with it which wasn't great. Was given meds though - if no help I'm going to ask for a referral as it can take over your life. Might be worth talking to gp about this if you wee lots at night??

I was going to say this. I have the same symptoms and they found my slightly prolapsed uterus was pushing on my bladder.

How are things going, OP?

I had the same problem last year and it turned out I had a big ovarian cyst which was pressing on my bladder and stopping me from emptying it properly. I had an op this summer to remove it and have felt much better since, might be worth asking for a scan to check!

I have this a lot. Sounds bizarre but get swabbed for BV!

I’m a bit like this (though I’ve always had a fairly overactive bladder, it’s got worse since having DC). I agree with PPs - cutting down on caffeine (and alcohol) makes an enormous difference. I now rarely have coke or chocolate, and only have one cup of caffeinated tea per day, first thing in the morning. If I have more, my bladder gets very sore.