How To Empty Your Bladder Completely: Simple Steps For Women

Have you ever gotten off the loo and felt like your bladder was still full? Or perhaps you leave the bathroom only to feel as though your bladder is bursting less than five minutes later.

These uncomfortable (and annoying) scenarios may be a result of incomplete bladder emptying.

Dealing with this condition doesn't have to feel so overwhelming, though. With the help of your doctor and some easy techniques, you can start working on taking control of your bladder again. And, if you keep practising these techniques (even after the symptoms go away), you can maintain a healthy bladder for longer.

What Is Incomplete Bladder Emptying?

Incomplete bladder emptying (also known as urinary retention), occurs when the bladder doesn’t fully empty when you’re peeing. This means that although you may feel as though you've emptied your bladder, there is still some urine left behind.

Urinary retention can happen for a few different reasons. These can include muscle or nerve damage, , certain medications, or even specific medical conditions (but more on this later...). It can also be acute or chronic.

Acute urinary retention is a sudden and painful inability to urinate and often requires immediate emergency medical attention. Chronic urinary retention develops gradually and may be less noticeable, but it can lead to long-term complications if untreated. This condition also leads to leftover urine in your bladder, which can put your bladder health at risk. It may even lead to compromised bladder function, like urinary incontinence (leaks).

If you're struggling with urinary retention, then it's important to remember that you're not alone. In fact, plenty of women experience this as they get older—especially since hormonal changes like drops in oestrogen can affect your bladder.

Symptoms

Sometimes, you may feel as though your bladder is still full, even right after a trip to the loo. However, urinary retention can manifest through several other symptoms as well.

Here are some signs that you may be dealing with urinary retention:

• It's hard to start peeing: You might find that it's more difficult than usual to begin urinating. This may be the case even when your pee feels urgent, and you may leak if you don't head to the bathroom.

• A weak or interrupted urine stream: If your stream of pee feels weak or starts and stops during urination, you may find your bladder isn't fully emptied when you get off the toilet.

• The sensation of a full bladder: Have you had the uncomfortable and irritating feeling of a full bladder even if you've just gone to the bathroom? This may be an indicator of urinary retention.

• Peeing more frequently: Rushing to the loo more often can be more than just annoying. But peeing more frequently can sometimes be a sign of incomplete bladder emptying but it can also be the sign of an overactive bladder muscle.

• Nocturia: Nocturia is when you wake up during the night to pee frequently. So, if you're waking up multiple times and your sleep is disrupted over the need to head to the bathroom, this may be a symptom of urinary retention but it can also be related to other conditions such as overactive bladder or disturbed sleep..

What Causes Urinary Retention?

There are several causes of urinary retention, and they can vary from behavioural causes to medical conditions.

For example, some medical causes include nerve damage (e.g. from diabetes, spinal cord injury, or multiple sclerosis) in and around the bladder, muscle damage from previous surgeries (such as pelvic surgery), and even infections (like a urinary tract infection). This will ultimately impact your overall bladder control, making it harder to empty your bladder fully. Urinary retention can also be caused by weakened pelvic floor muscles or pelvic organ prolapse, which can occur with ageing or childbirth.

Behavioural factors may also play a role. Sometimes, a lack of privacy can make it hard to pee, and it may feel as though your bladder has 'stage fright'. However, rushing your bathroom trip or even hovering over public toilets can make passing urine just as difficult.

5 Techniques To Fully Empty Your Bladder

There are several ways to empty your bladder fully and ease your symptoms. They're also really simple to learn and implement into your daily routine.

1. Behavioural changes

Firstly, one of the most important things you need is a comfortable and private environment. After all, there's nothing worse than feeling as though your privacy is being invaded while you're trying to use the loo.

You should also have enough space to sit comfortably with good posture. Ideally, you'll want to sit with your feet flat on the floor and rest your elbows on your legs. Then, try leaning forward to place a healthy amount of pressure on your pelvis. This extra 'squeeze' may be what you need to empty your bladder fully.

2. Double voiding

Another important factor to consider is giving yourself enough time to completely empty your bladder. Sometimes, rushing your bathroom trip or getting off the loo before you're done can be harmful. So, instead of speeding through your next visit to the loo, try taking your time and practising double voiding.

To use this technique, you should pee as normal. But before you leave the bathroom, wait a few minutes and try again. If you feel as though you need a little extra help, you can also lean forward and press on your lower abdomen. This can help to stimulate more urine flow.

3. Bladder stimulation

Speaking of stimulation, there are other ways to stimulate your bladder and help speed the urination process along. For example, you can gently tap or stroke your abdomen or lower back. Alternatively, you can rock back and forth or side to side.

Another great way to stimulate your bladder is through a technique known as the Credé manoeuvre. This should be done cautiously and under a healthcare provider’s guidance to avoid injury or discomfort. This method involves:

1. Sitting in a relaxed position and making sure you're comfortable.

2. Placing your hands on your lower abdomen, just above your pubic bone.

3. Using either your fingers or your palms, to apply pressure to the area where your bladder is. Just be careful—you should be pushing firmly but not painfully hard.

4. Remember to focus on trying to pee. So, as you push, relax (breathing techniques can work wonders here) and try to release your urine.

4. Pelvic floor exercises

Overactive or tight pelvic floor muscles can contribute to urinary retention by preventing the bladder from emptying fully. It's a bit like squeezing your bladder to stop yourself from having an accident—except it's also happening when you do want to empty your bladder.

So, to help your pelvic floor muscles relax, you can try pelvic floor physiotherapy. The physiotherapist can provide you with exercises that are designed to strengthen the muscles in your pelvis and also help you relax those muscles, which helps with bladder control. And with better control, you can easily empty your bladder without fewer worries.

5. Lifestyle changes

Although there are plenty of lifestyle changes that can help relieve urinary retention symptoms (such as stopping smoking), the most important change to make is to avoid bladder irritants. This includes avoiding specific foods and drinks. For example:

• Spicy foods Certain spices like chilli and other hot foods

• Caffeine

• Alcohol

• Carbonated beverages

• Artificial sweeteners

• Acidic foods like tomatoes and citrus fruits

How To Manage Urinary Retention

While you're working on your bladder health with your medical team and through the techniques we've mentioned, there are other things you can do to give you more peace of mind.

We know how stressful and uncomfortable it can be to deal with urinary retention—particularly when it leads to leaks since your bladder is filling up more quickly. Of course, this can really knock your self-confidence and make leaving your home feel like a nightmare. But it doesn't have to.

Instead, you can manage these leaks and discomfort using products like incontinence pants, and comfortable bamboo incontinence pads. Please bear in mind Jude supplements are not designed for urinary retention but for overactive bladder and stress incontinence.

FAQs

What are the dangers of not emptying my bladder completely?

If your bladder isn't fully emptied, it can potentially lead to certain health risks. Typically, it can cause bladder discomfort and easily turn into a urinary tract infection (UTI).

When should I speak to my doctor about urinary retention?

You should speak to your doctor as soon as you notice the symptoms of urinary retention. This can help prevent it from turning into something more serious, like a UTI. Plus, your doctor can help pinpoint the cause of the problem and develop a treatment plan for you.

Final Thoughts

The best way to retrain your bladder to fully empty is to use a combination of techniques that work for your body and to follow a treatment plan set up by your urologist

After all, getting a better handle on your bladder is the first step to feeling more like yourself again—confident, comfortable, and relaxed.