I have to go to the bathroom… again!

Frequent urination or urinary frequency is simply the need to urinate more often than usual.
What causes urinary frequency?

• Most common cause in women- urinary tract infections (UTI for short)
• Most common cause in men- Prostatomegaly (enlarged prostate)
• Diabetes Mellitus (DM for short, also known as ‘sugar’ or ‘sweet blood’)
• Pregnancy
• Medications such as diuretics (also known as water pills, used to treat Hypertension also known as high blood pressure or Heart Failure)
• Caffeine
• Alcohol

 

What home remedies can I try?

 

Not all causes of urinary frequency can support natural or at home remedies. However for conditions such as UTIs many studies have shown that probiotics, Vitamin C, drinking plenty of water, avoiding spermicide and urinating before and after sex will reduce the incidence of UTIs and decrease the bacterial load within the urinary tracts.
Cranberry juice and capsules have shown little to no benefit in recent studies.

When do I need to seek medical help?

If you have any of the symptoms below seek medical advice as soon as possible.

• Fever
• Nausea and Vomiting
• Back or abdominal pain
• Frequent urination at night (Nocturia)
• Burning or pain when urinating (Dysuria)
• Blood in the urine (Haematuria)
• ‘Pus’ in the urine (Pyuria)
• Foul or strong smelling urine
• Very dark or cola coloured urine
• Excessive hunger and eating (Polyphagia)
• Excessive thirst and drinking (Polydipsia)

 

What kind of examinations and tests can I expect?
In office:

• Abdominal and pelvic exams
• Prostate checks
• Vaginal exams
• Urine dipstick
• Finger stick for glucose testing
• Blood pressure check
• Laboratory/ Radiological Requests:
• Formal urine analysis
• Urine culture and sensitivity
• Abdominopelvic ultrasound
• Abdominal X-ray
• Kidney Function Tests (blood)
• Prostate specific antigen test (blood)

#beEMPOWERED

Author: Dr. Kimberley Salmon