Fibroids And Frequent Urination

You’re out with your friends at lunch and suddenly have the urge to urinate, causing you to race towards the restroom just in time. You get back to the table and start eating again, take a bite out of your delicious food, and suddenly, you get the same urge, only more intense than the last. You again race to the bathroom, but you couldn’t hold it long enough this time. You may be experiencing fibroids and frequent urination.

This is a daily struggle for some women that prevents them from living in the moment. When you’re constantly worried about reaching the bathroom in time and planning your activities around being close to a restroom, staying home and canceling plans becomes easiest. You may even call in sick to work regularly because you fear this issue may have potential repercussions on your career –– but calling in sick so often now has your boss and co-workers upset that you’re never around. 

Beyond that, it’s just too personal a subject to explain what’s going on. Before you know it, frequent urination with fibroids starts to dictate where you can go and what activities you can do, controlling every aspect of your life. 

At USA Fibroid Centers, we don’t want you to suffer any longer because of fibroids, frequent urination, or other fibroid symptoms. Instead, we aim to educate women on their full range of fibroid treatment options –– so please read on to find out more.

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Does Uterine Fibroids Cause Frequent Urination?

For some women, the unfortunate reality is that fibroids cause frequent urination. Along with heavy bleeding, severe cramps, a swollen abdomen, and low energy, frequent urination with fibroids is a common effect of these benign but bothersome tumors. 

However, it is essential not to make any assumptions about your health. If you have fibroids and frequent urination, contact your doctor to rule out other potential causes of this unpleasant and inconvenient issue. If fibroids are ultimately diagnosed as the issue behind your constant restroom stops, consult a fibroid specialist to ask about available treatments. No matter the cause, it is important to know that there’s help available. 

Can Fibroids Cause Incontinence?

Urinary incontinence, the loss of bladder control, is a common issue affecting primarily women and people at an older age. The severity of incontinence can range from occasional, small leakage to an urge to urinate strong enough to cause distress and potentially embarrassing situations. 

Two Types of Incontinence

While frequent urination is one potential effect of fibroids, incontinence, or the loss of bladder control, can also occur. You should be aware that there are two types of incontinence: bladder and bowel.

  • Bladder incontinence: When it comes to fibroid symptoms, we usually refer to incontinence of the bladder, or fibroids urinary incontinence. 
  • Bowel incontinence: Uterine fibroids also have the potential to impact bowel function, depending on their location and size. This is less common and manifests as constipation rather than bowel incontinence.

Why Do Fibroids Cause Frequent Urination?

Fibroids can pressure surrounding organs, causing a sensation that indicates an urgency to urinate in your body. 

Size of Fibroids Can Affect Your Bladder

If fibroids begin to grow larger, or if there are numerous tumors, they may expand the uterus. This can cause the uterus to compress the bladder, reducing its capacity to hold enough urine. This, of course, often results in frequent urination. All types of fibroids can grow large enough to put pressure on other organs; however, subserosal fibroids that grow on the outside lining of the uterus may protrude into other organs, potentially causing immense pressure on the nearby bladder.

Urinary Retention

In some instances, fibroids can also cause urinary retention. Due to the size of the uterus, the ureter, which allows urine to pass from the kidneys to the bladder, may become blocked. If the ureter becomes partially blocked, urine cannot flow successfully. If the fibroids cause the bladder’s exit to be completely pinched off, surgical procedures may need to help open the ureter. If you have fibroids, we recommend you keep an eye out for any difficulties emptying your bladder. It’s crucial to track these symptoms, so you can notify a specialist if your condition worsens.

Other Causes of Frequent Urination

While fibroids can cause you to feel the need to urinate frequently, they aren’t the only cause of this issue. Other health conditions can lead to frequent urination in women.

Kidney Disease

Kidney disease often develops slowly over time. You may not even realize you have the condition until it has progressed. One of the symptoms of kidney disease is urinating more than normal, but you can also urinate less than usual as well. Other symptoms include nausea and vomiting, trouble sleeping, muscle cramps, swelling of the feet and ankles, and other signs.

UTI

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) frequently cause you to have an urgency to urinate. Bacteria grows in the bladder, kidneys, or urethra, causing inflammation of the organs. You may feel like you must constantly go to the bathroom, even after going. Many times, you will need an antibiotic to stop the infection.

Pregnancy

Pregnancy can also cause frequent urination. This becomes more noticeable in the second and third trimesters as the baby grows and the expanding uterus presses on the bladder. Once the baby is born, your uterus will go back to its normal size, and the urgency to urinate should go away.

Diabetes

One of the warning signs of diabetes is the need to urinate frequently. While it is noticeable during the day, it can also happen at night. You may also notice that you are thirstier and hungrier than normal. You may feel a lack of energy and have wounds that are slower to heal. You should see your doctor if you experience any of these signs or blurred vision, numbness in the hands or feet, and unexpected weight loss.

Treatment for Fibroids Pressing on Bladder

It can be difficult to determine if your sudden urge to urinate is from another incontinent issue or uterine fibroids. If you’re having difficulty reaching the restroom in time, planning your life around being close to a bathroom, or are being interrupted by the need to urinate, it’s important to consult a doctor immediately. Interventional radiologists use ultrasounds and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology to determine the cause of your urinary urgency.

While you look into proper diagnosis and potential treatments, taking some steps to reduce your urinary symptoms may be helpful.

  • Avoid drinking large quantities of liquid before bedtime or before heading away from your home
  • Cut back on caffeine and alcohol
  • Build up your pelvic floor muscles by doing kegel exercises

But the bottom line is that if your fibroids cause frequent urination or incontinence, the most successful way to fix the problem is to receive specialized fibroid treatment.

How to Stop Frequent Urination at Night

To prevent frequent urination at night, you should cut down on your fluid intake at least four to six hours before bedtime. This includes food as well as drinks. Limit your alcohol at night and cut out caffeine. Even drinking caffeinated beverages early in the day could cause you to get up to the bathroom at night.

Check with your doctor about taking any diuretics earlier in the day. And while this one may be obvious, don’t forget to go to the bathroom just before crawling into bed. It’s also important to focus on improving the quality of your sleep. If you wake up at night, it’s easy to get out of bed and go to the bathroom just because you’re awake. 

Going to bed at the same time and limiting daytime naps can help improve your quality of sleep. If you have other issues causing you to need to get up and urinate, you need to seek treatment to find out the culprit.

Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE) Is the Best Treatment for Fibroids

If fibroids are causing your frequent urination, we offer a non-surgical, outpatient treatment that should be able to help. Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE) uses a specialized ultrasound technique that helps map the body’s natural pathways and shrinks your fibroids.

During a UFE procedure:

  • You will be given local anesthesia, and a light sedative
  • One of our specialists will numb your upper thigh
  • Next, they will inject embolic agents through a tiny catheter into your uterine artery
  • This material will block blood flow and nutrients to your fibroids
  • Over the next few weeks, your fibroids will wither away and eventually die

Benefits of UFE Treatment

The resulting decrease in pressure should allow your bladder and uterus to return to their normal size and regular functions. Since our fibroid specialists utilize minimally invasive techniques, there is a little discomfort, limited to no scarring, no need for stitches or general anesthesia, and you can return to the comfort of your own home the same day.

Compared to fibroid surgery, the benefits of UFE also include:

  • Less risk
  • Less pain
  • No general anesthesia
  • Takes only 30 to 45 minutes
  • No hospital stay
  • A short recovery period of one to two weeks
  • The uterus remains intact
  • Your fertility can be retained
  • It is extremely rare for fibroids treated with UFE to regrow

Although many women believe that fibroid surgery –– such as hysterectomy or myomectomy –– is the only available treatment, this isn’t true. A fibroid specialist can help you explore all your options before making any final treatment decisions. 

Contact USA Fibroid Centers Today

There is no longer a need to suffer from frequent urination with fibroids.s. Our interventional radiologists at USA Fibroid Centers are passionate about helping women live their lives to the fullest without constantly worrying about fibroids and frequent urination. We also believe that women shouldn’t have to decide between continued urinary frequency and to undergo invasive surgery. Fortunately, you don’t need to make that choice. 

We certainly understand if you are concerned about the cost of fibroid treatment.. Many women are pleasantly surprised to learn that Uterine Fibroid Embolization is usually covered by most major health insurance plans, including Medicare and Medicaid. To learn more about the details of your individual plan, please call us at 855.615.2555 and ask to speak with one of our insurance specialists. 

During the current pandemic, we are following strict precautionary measures at all of our nationwide clinic locations to help avoid the spread of COVID-19. For your added safety and convenience, you may choose to request an initial telemedicine consultation. 

Whether you decide to visit us in person or online, contact us today to learn more about uterine fibroids and non-surgical fibroid treatment.

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Don’t Suffer Another Day

Life with fibroids can be painful and challenging. Timely detection and treatment of fibroids can relieve symptoms, as well as reduce your risk for hysterectomy.

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