Holding your urine for extremely long periods of time can also cause urinary tract infections due to bacteria build-up. In addition, it can increase your risk of kidney disease and in rare cases even risk your bladder bursting—a condition that can be deadly.
Holding it in for too long gives bacteria the chance to multiply and settle in the bladder, leading to infection. Holding urine can overstretch the bladder and lead to voiding dysfunction, which is a lack of coordination between the bladder muscle and the urethra.
Increases Risk for Kidney Disease
In fact, having the following health conditions and holding your urine for long periods can result in kidney disease: Having an enlarged prostate. Other kidney disorders. Urinary retention.
In acute urinary retention the diagnosis is usually obvious. In chronic retention the clinical features are more variable and include nocturnal enuresis, recurrent UTIs, and lower urinary tract symptoms associated with bladder outflow obstruction, such as frequency, urgency, hesitancy and poor stream.
If urine stays in your bladder, it can lead to urinary incontinence (leaking urine between wees) and urinary tract infections. In severe cases, urine can start to 'back up' towards the kidneys, causing long-term damage.
Holding in pee may cause a urinary tract infection (UTI), pain, bladder stretching, and more. The urinary bladder is a hollow, pear-shaped organ that forms part of the urinary system. The bladder's role is to store urine until a person is ready to use the restroom.
Regularly holding your pee can also lead to pain in the bladder or kidneys. It might even hurt when you finally decide to go. This is because your bladder and pelvic muscles have remained clenched for too long.
The bladder can hold about 2.5 cups of urine at a time for up two to five hours.
There's currently no official record set for the longest someone has gone without peeing, but holding it in is not advised. According to msn.com, no serious health problems have been linked to holding urine too long.
What's normal and how many times is too frequent to urinate? Most people pee about seven to eight times per day, on average. If you feel the need to pee much more than that, or if you're getting up every hour or 30 minutes to go, you might be frequently urinating.
See your doctor immediately if your bladder feels full but you cannot urinate at all. If your doctor is not available, go to the emergency department. See your doctor if you have: symptoms of urinary retention.
Pee-gasms, also known as urine or pee orgasms, are a relatively new phenomenon. This sensation occurs when someone intentionally holds their urine for an extended period, resulting in a buildup of pressure in the bladder, which can lead to intense pleasurable sensations when they finally release their urine.
According to a study published in the journal Annals of Translational Medicine, holding your pee can lead to formation of kidney stones—especially in people, who have a history of this condition.
Adults, on the other hand, have an average bladder of 16 to 24 ounces and they require approximately 8 to 9 hours to fill the bladder.
“Usually I recommend that you empty your bladder every three hours, whether you have the urge to go or not,” says Nazia Bandukwala, D.O., a urologist at Piedmont. “It's important to do that so you're not retaining too much urine in your bladder.”
In most cases, patients with bladder rupture have gross hematuria (77% to 100%). Other symptoms of bladder rupture include pelvic pain, lower abdominal pain, and difficulty voiding. It is important to note that trauma to the urinary tract is frequently associated with other traumatic injuries.
Holding your urine for a long time can cause the muscles around the bladder to work too hard resulting in urinary incontinence which will adversely affect health. This can cause a risk of infection in the urinary tract especially the occurrence of cystitis.
Urinary bladder and urethra
The urinary bladder can store up to 500 ml of urine in women and 700 ml in men.
The most common cause of urinary retention is benign prostatic hyperplasia. Other common causes include prostatitis, cystitis, urethritis, and vulvovaginitis; receiving medications in the anticholinergic and alpha-adrenergic agonist classes; and cortical, spinal, or peripheral nerve lesions.
The actual cause of prostate enlargement is unknown. Factors linked to aging and changes in the cells of the testicles may have a role in the growth of the gland, as well as testosterone levels. Men who have had their testicles removed at a young age (for example, as a result of testicular cancer) do not develop BPH.
In turn, the kidneys will only be able to make highly concentrated urine that irritates the bladder. Therefore, staying hydrated by drinking plenty of water throughout the day is one of the essential pieces of any treatment plan for urinary retention.
With acute urinary retention, a health care professional will immediately drain the urine from your bladder using a catheter. Removing the urine from the bladder eases your pain and helps prevent your bladder and kidneys from being damaged.
Treatment. Treatment for urinary retention depends on the type of urinary retention you have—either acute or chronic—and the cause of your urinary retention. Treatments for urinary retention may include draining the bladder, medicines, medical procedures or devices, surgery, and self-care treatments.