If you have urinary retention, you might experience one or more of the following symptoms:
- Not being able to urinate
- Discomfort
- Urgent sense to urinate but weak flow
- Dribble due to overflow incontinence
- Bloated lower abdomen
Why does it happen?
Urinary retention can be caused by an obstruction in the urinary tract, a bladder muscle weakness or by damage to the nervous system caused by a neurogenic condition such as multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury or spina bifida.
People with nerve damage may experience that their bladder muscles don’t get the message that it is time to release urine or the muscles are too weak to empty the bladder completely.
Urine that stays in the bladder too long may lead to an infection and urine may back up, leading to pressure and damage to the kidneys.
Urinary retention may also lead to overflow incontinence.
Consult your healthcare professional if you experience any of the symptoms listed above.
