I’m not sure if this is a birth control side effect or correlation, but I’m on day 2 of my regimen. I started before my period ended. Today, I drank more water than I usually do and I’ve had to go to the bathroom all day to pee. Not unexpected for my water intake. However, at night, I experienced something for the first time ever I’ve never dealt with before and am not sure how to deal with: I have that feeling of urgency in my bladder to void, but whenever I sit down, I can’t pee. A little dribble will go out and I wait there for a while and a little more comes out but there’s no relief. I get up because I can’t sit in the toilet forever but that feeling of needing to pee persists and some pee will dribble out onto my pad yet even if I sit down on the toilet and try to push more out, only a little dribble comes out. Whenever I try to finish up and go to bed, I can’t sleep because that feeling of “I need to pee” keeps me up. I finally relented and ran a bath so I can pee without having to get up from being comfortable. I’ve pushed out dribbles and drops at a time over the last few hours but that feeling of needing to empty my bladder. It’s not painful, but the pressure of the urgency of needing to empty my bladder is incredibly uncomfortable and I am unable to sleep. Please help.

Addit: Some clarifications and possible related factors:

1. It doesn't hurt to pee. I can't tell if there's blood in my pee because I'm still in the middle of my period so when a dribble comes out, it drips down and likely mixes with my period blood so I can't tell the difference.

2. It's not like I'm unable to pee. It's that I can only seem to push out drops at a time, yet that pressure of needing to pee has been sitting consistently on my bladder for the past few hours and never goes away. I feel like the feeling of needing to pee has been there all day yet the urgent "I need to pee now" has only been around for less than 5 hours. I feel like I've been straining to push it out for the past 2-3 hours yet only a small dribble comes out every couple of minutes at a time and there's no relief. The urgent need to pee persists consistently. I can't sit on the toilet forever but every time I move, my bladder screams at me to go pee. I am unable to sleep this way. I just constantly feel like I need to pee. My pad is like a mini-diaper at this point there to catch the dribble.

3. I've had a venti cup of White Chocolate Mocha from Starbucks and a regular-sized Zero Sugar Original Monster. It's more caffeine than I usually have in a day and I'm not sure if that's diuretic enough to make me pee so often. I also drank 1L of regular water today. I'm usually pretty dehydrated, so that's more water than I usually drink in a day. I just assumed this was the reason I had to go to the bathroom so many times during the day today before this urgency to void increased and lingered.

4. I've started a new relationship and have been having a lot of orgasms recently. I'm not sure if the frequent clitoral and vaginal stimulation has irritated my bladder muscles or given me a UTI. I wouldn't be able to recognize what the latter feels like and my vaginal muscles do feel a little sore.

5. I took my second birth control pill (ever) about 5 hours ago, after I got home from work. I've never been on birth control before and I started my birth control regimen after I started bleeding (on day 4 of my period; i usually bleed 7-10 days.) This medication is new to me so I don't know if this is an emerging symptom or a result of the pills. I'm taking Loryna (Drospirenone and Ethinyl Estradiol Tablets, USP) at 3 mg/0.02 mg.

All I know is that it is now 2:31am. I have been on a constant state of "pushing" trying to get rid of that feeling of needing to pee and despite many dribbles and multiple soaked pads, there is no relief and the feeling persists. I just want to sleep. I haven't had enough sleep the past few days and I really want to sleep. Please help. My boyfriend has suggested I try to relax but that’s next to impossible when I can’t get rid of this pressure on my bladder of an urgency to pee.

I’m a 30-year-old woman.

About 7–8 years ago, I started experiencing overactive bladder.

At first, I didn’t pay much attention to it, but several years ago it started interfering with my sleep. It isn’t just at night, any time I try to sleep, I simply can’t. The urge is unbearable. And during the day I also go to the bathroom all day. I’ve had issues at work for stepping out to go pee too often.

The worst part is that I can be absolutely exhausted, but the urge to urinate keeps me from falling asleep. And to make matters worse, when I finally get to the bathroom, nothing comes out.

I’ll sit there, breathe, walk around for a bit, move my hips around, and once the urge gets stronger I sit down again and nothing comes out. (at this point i usually start crying)

When I finally manage to pee, it’s only a few drops, and the urge doesn’t go away or lessen whatsoever. I get up from the toilet after having just peed a second ago and I still feel the same.

I’ve had bladder, kidney, and uterine ultrasounds. I’ve had urine tests, kidney function tests, and even liver and hormone tests. all normal, no infection, no nothing.

At this point i think my bladder is just broken.

I’ve been going to bladder and pelvic floor physical therapy. I use TENS every day as instructed. I took Numencial and Myrbetriq for a month, then switched to tamsulosin and Cisterex, and i’ve seen no improvement at all.

I barely drink the minimum amount of water possible. I stopped drinking soda, tea, coffee, and juice.
I’ve gone to every physical therapy session, every medical appointment, and nothing seems to help. I was told this would be a slow process, but it’s been months, and i expected something to happen, not immediately or drastically but something. anything that would indicate we’re getting somewhere

What’s affecting me the most is that I genuinely cannot sleep. Every night I cry and cry and cry in frustration and anger and i don’t even let my bf sleep with the constant coming and going to the bathroom, silent cries and shakes (sometimes not so quiet). The sleep deprivation has me completely effed up.

if anything has helped you please share with me. i wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy

My daughter has Coeliac Disease - she has 0 gut issues but she immediately has bladder issues when she has gluten. She only got tested becuase her brother has it too.

She went from completly dry to constantly having accidents and leakage almost overnight. It stopped so quickly on a gluten free diet.

When i have looked into Coeliac its not an uncommon symptom, especially in women, but its not a recognised one

I looked in this sub and saw nothing on it so I thought I'd point it out, just in case there is even 1 person who finds the information useful

I am going to ask my family doctor for a vaginal estrogen/estradiol cream to help with my overactive bladder, urinary urgency and frequency. Does anyone have good experiences with a specific brand cream to recommend? One that is gentle to body and health; but efficient? I am 63, had uterus removed at early 40s. Never had any type of hormone treatments. Thanks in advance.

I am a PG Student in a reputed and leading institution in Kerala. I was surprised today when the management specified that you are expected to pee only during the break. Unless it is an emergency you should train your body to hold on to the urge of urinating. I understand it is common in colleges across the place. I find absolutely absurd that students who are 21+ need to seek permission to use the restroom out loud in the class. What do you think of the same??

We were also briefed on how you get judged and punished for using the loo if you are in a meeting. Is this even for real??

Is it embarrassing as a F that I pee myself every time I laugh. Can any girls relate.

Daughter most likely has an overactive bladder are dispers usually needed for your guys's condition sorry if this is personal

I hate this so much😭

Hey all, my whole life I’ve struggled with urinary urgency (I go almost 30 times a day) and waking up to pee at night 4+ times. Finally, at 32, I went to a doctor and she said I have OAB. She prescribed me Gemtesa.

Now, I have pretty severe health anxiety so I always read all the medication side effects. I noticed it said not to take medication like this if I have a weak stream or don’t fully empty my bladder.

They tested me for urine retention at the doctor and she said it’s not an issue, but many times when I sit down to pee I pee for a bit, it stops, and I have to wait for more to come like 30 or so seconds later. Or even, I pee, get up, and immediately have to sit down and pee again. This makes me worried that the medication will cause issues for me.

Did anyone else experience these symptoms as a normal part of OAB and still find that the medication helped without causing problems? Just looking to alleviate my anxiety.

Thanks for any experiences you can share.

31F. I’ve had OAB (overactive bladder) since 2019. I was diagnosed back in India and have experienced flare-ups on and off over the years. One of the worst parts is waking up almost every hour at night to pee.
I drink around 2 L of water a day and try to stop drinking fluids well before bedtime. Recently, my flare-ups have become much worse. I’m also dealing with hemorrhoids and a chronic anal fissure, and I’m considering laser surgery for the fissure.
At the moment, I’m experiencing a constant burning sensation and a very strong urge to pee throughout both the day and night. I’ve already been tested for STIs and a UTI, and everything came back negative.
I’m considering seeing a urologist in Canada, but I also wanted to ask others who may have experienced something similar: Can constipation, hemorrhoids, or an anal fissure trigger or worsen OAB/bladder flare-ups?
Any advice or experiences would be really appreciated.

41M.

For 20 years, it felt like I had a constant UTI—an awful, dirty sensation in my urethra. From the age of sixteen, doctors had been prodding and poking my prostate, telling me it's inflamed, it's fine, it's all in my head. I faced dismissive doctors, humiliating exams, and no answers—

I once had a doctor simply tell me, "You don't know how to go to the bathroom."

Those words are verbatim.

Eventually I stopped going out. Having to pee every 10 minutes, and don't even get me started about when drinks were involved, had me home hating life, my wretched bladder, and myself.

I was borderline suicidal.

But then finally, at the age of 36, a benign tumor was discovered in my bladder. It was growing smack-dab in the middle of a nerve highway sending pain/discomfort signals to my brain.

To be clear, I had to fight for this examination. The urologist only agreed because of how desperate I was. He imagined I had either 1) a narrowed urethra or 2) interstitial cystitis. The examination required jamming a cystoscope into my bladder via my penis.

It was not fun, but that's how the benign tumor was found and ultimately excised.

It's been six years since and I’ve been symptom-free.

My particular case is likely not your case. The urologist himself was baffled.

But my reason for writing this post is this: NOBODY deserves to live like this.

Please, remain vigilant. It’s not in your head. Something is wrong, and it takes you finding the right mindset and doctor to figure it out.

Wish you all the best!

I do try to end the day on 2 litres which results in about 15 trips to the toilet.

I do get very stressed about drinking enough and trying to limit my peeing.

So I went to a new urologist and this one wants to have a urodynamic test done but he wants me to stop my flomax and myrbetriq for a couple weeks and have the test done. I am worried about stopping because it's going to make me have to go to the bathroom every 10-20 mins instead of 45 mins. He said after he wanted me to start my flomax 2 times a day. I'm 34 male. Also what should I expect for this test?

An unpleasant, inappropriate, and persistent need to urinate (PNU) is a sensory symptom reported by some patients with [lower urinary tract symptoms](https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/lower-urinary-tract-symptom) (LUTS). However, no detailed definition of this symptom exists. Please if anyone has it or had it please provide some info if you have. Mine is very refractory nothing seems to work.

has anyone ever experienced bladder and urethra/pelvic spasms, contractions? Were you able to treat it?

Hi everyone. I’m seeking advice from this more niche group.

Some context:

I have had problems with overactive bladder a few times over the last 3 years. My first bout occurred right around ovulation time and lasted about a month. No medication interventions, just a few pelvic floor therapy sessions and a vacation when symptoms randomly stopped. This cycle I took letrozole 5mg and did not conceive.

My second bout was when I was about 15 or 16 weeks postpartum. I had just stopped pumping a few days prior. Was on progestin only BC and had been for a couple weeks. I was already in pelvic floor therapy and continued it for months. This bout lasted at least 4 months, if not longer, when I ultimately went on mirabegron (myrbetriq) for \~6 months before discontinuing. Symptoms didn’t return. I also went on Lexapro to deal with the debilitating anxiety, and stopped it about a year later.

Now, I am ovulating right now and started experiencing symptoms 3 days ago. My only symptom is that I feel the need to pee within minutes of using the bathroom. This is consistent with both other instances. I’m getting ready to buckle in for potentially several months of symptoms and my anxiety is so bad again. I did take letrozole 5mg this cycle because I have PCOS and don’t always ovulate.

Worth noting I’ve taken letrozole 5mg 3 other times and did **not** experience a flair.

Anyways, I am seeking advice from others with this condition. I made an appt with my OBGYN (who previously had prescribed the mirabegron) to discuss but it’s not for a few weeks. It’s my understanding you can’t take that while pregnant, and she wanted me off it for a month before starting TTC last year. Bladder training doesn’t do squat for me, and I don’t believe food/drinks play a role because I cut them out for over a month last flair with no impact.

Does anyone else have OAB and is TTC take meds for it? Any other tips?

?

Hello. I am 22F and got diagnosed with OAB a couple of months ago, but have been struggling with symptoms for over a year now. It began as UTI symptoms but no active infection. Just urgency and frequency, as well as the feeling of not completely emptying my bladder. The frequency was really difficult, as I felt like I needed to pee, but when I sat on the toilet, either a drop or sometimes nothing would come out, even though the urge was so strong and uncomfortable. The urgency was also bad and at the time I was at school and feared I would pee my pants in class. I usually could make it to the bathroom in time except for maybe one or two times at home. For a month or two, the symptoms became less intense, but recently they came back even worse. Frequency and urgency are even more intense. Bladder still not feeling empty, but tests have shown that I do completely and fully empty my bladder when I urinate. I pee my pants a few times a week, and on the days I do, it is often 2-3 times that day. Today was the first day I peed my pants in public, which is why I am making a post. I have tried Prelief, as well as identifying what irritates my bladder, but I can't find a clear source besides tea (which is unfortunately my favorite drink). I strongly believe this is a pelvic floor issue as I have some gynecological issues that also seem to be pelvic floor related. That being said, the pelvic floor therapist I need to see is booked out far, as well as my urologist that I have been seeing. Does anyone have any tips for me or instructions on how to relax your pelvic floor? Please let me know. This is becoming a big insecurity and worry for me, especially because I am young.

I was just prescribed mirabegron 50 and was shocked to see the price of the generic. I have UnitedHealthCare and a pretty good employer plan and the 90-day copay is $162.50.

Is this typical?