Frequent urination is the need to urinate more than six to eight times in 24 hours. It’s a symptom that can disrupt your routine, sleep, and overall quality of life, and can result from many underlying conditions. However, one condition often overlooked is uterine fibroids.
What is Frequent Urination?
Along with peeing more than six to eight times a day, anyone dealing with frequent urination may also notice an uncontrollable need to urinate (urinary urgency), or have a weak stream that stops and starts, or is generally slow. In some cases, certain medications, increased fluid intake, or pregnancy can temporarily cause frequent urination.
However, persistent symptoms may point to conditions, such as:
- Kidney Disease: May cause urinating too often or too little, along with swelling, nausea, and fatigue.
- UTI: Often leads to a constant urge to urinate and discomfort, requiring antibiotics for treatment.
- Pregnancy: An expanding uterus places pressure on the bladder, which can lead to the need to urinate frequently.
- Diabetes: Frequent urination paired with thirst, fatigue, or weight changes may indicate high blood sugar.
One of the most common causes of frequent urination for women is fibroids pushing on the bladder.
Can Fibroids Cause Frequent Urination?
Because the uterus is located near the bladder, fibroids can press against the bladder or surrounding pelvic structures, limiting its capacity and creating a constant urge to urinate. The symptom of frequent urination generally becomes more noticeable when a fibroid is located closer to the bladder or grows larger.
Understanding how and why fibroids cause frequent urination is important for timely diagnosis and effective treatment.
What Does Frequent Urination from Fibroids Feel Like?
If a fibroid is pressing on the bladder, symptoms usually develop gradually and are easily mistaken for normal aging or hydration habits.
Some common symptoms of fibroids and frequent urination include:
- Frequent need and urgency to urinate throughout the day
- Waking up multiple times during the night to urinate (nocturia)
- Difficulty fully emptying the bladder
- Urinary tract infections (UTIs)
A proper diagnosis from a doctor or a fibroid specialist can help determine whether these bladder issues are actually fibroid symptoms.
Why Do Fibroids Cause Frequent Urination?
Fibroids cause frequent urination and related urinary symptoms when they grow near the bladder. Fibroids can cause the uterus to compress the bladder, reducing its capacity to hold enough urine. This is especially common with subserosal fibroids, or any fibroid located on the anterior wall. Large or multiple fibroids may also distort pelvic anatomy, worsening pressure and discomfort.
Treatment for Fibroids Pressing on the Bladder
An effective non-surgical treatment for fibroids pressing on your bladder is uterine fibroid embolization (UFE). UFE is an outpatient procedure that cuts off the fibroid’s blood supply, allowing it to shrink naturally.
There are plenty of benefits in treating fibroids and frequent urination using UFE, including:
- Relief from urinary frequency and pelvic pressure
- No general anesthesia or stitches
- Quick recovery (1–2 weeks)
- Preserved uterus and fertility
- Minimal risk of recurrence
Unlike surgery, UFE provides lasting relief without removing the uterus, helping relieve any bladder issues related to fibroid symptoms without requiring an extensive recovery, as is necessary with surgical fibroid removal.
Get Relief with USA Fibroid Centers
Living with fibroids and frequent urination can be exhausting. When you’re constantly worried about reaching the bathroom in time, your quality of life can be impacted.
The specialists at USA Fibroid Centers can help you regain control of your bladder and manage other fibroid symptoms with UFE. We offer personalized, non-surgical care focused on symptom relief and uterine preservation.
Schedule a consultation with a fibroid specialist and discover how UFE can help you find lasting relief.
FAQs about Fibroids and Frequent Urination
Do small fibroids cause urinary symptoms too?
Small fibroids can cause urinary symptoms depending on their location. Fibroids that are pressed against the bladder or uterus and lead to frequent urination, pelvic pressure, bloating, or irregular bleeding.
Can fibroids affect both urination and bowel movements?
Fibroids can press on nearby organs, such as the bladder and colon, causing urinary frequency, bloating, or constipation. The larger or more posterior the fibroid, the more likely it is to affect both functions.
Will bladder symptoms go away after fibroid treatment?
Bladder symptoms caused by fibroids typically resolve after treatments like uterine fibroid embolization (UFE), which shrinks the fibroids and relieves bladder pressure. As the fibroids shrink, the uterus and bladder often return to normal size and function, with minimal discomfort and a short recovery time.