The need to urinate frequently can begin almost as soon as a woman learns she is pregnant. Frequent urination in pregnancy is usually caused by an increase in the amount of fluid inside the body. During the third trimester, women typically have an increased urge to urinate because, as the baby grows, he or she can put lots of pressure on the bladder. The urge to urinate during pregnancy may get worse instead of better as the pregnancy progresses. There are some things a woman can do to help lessen her urinary frequency, but in most cases the only thing that takes care of the problem completely is delivering the baby.
Frequent urination in pregnancy may begin as early as six weeks and last until a woman delivers. During the early weeks, the baby is not large enough to put pressure on the bladder, so the need to urinate is not a result of that. The cause of frequent urination early in the pregnancy is due to the fact that there is more blood inside a woman’s body, which means there is more fluid overall. Women who are pregnant also tend to produce large amounts of the hCG hormone (human chorionic gonadotropin), which may additionally make a woman need to urinate more frequently.
As the pregnancy progresses, the uterus begins to grow, and its larger size may put more pressure on the bladder. In addition to the increased uterus size, the baby grows and begins to move around. Fetuses can position themselves in such a way that they put lots of pressure on a woman’s bladder, which usually causes frequent urination in pregnancy. Some women may find that in the third trimester they have to get up to urinate as much as ten times in one night. This can make sleeping very difficult during the last few months of pregnancy.
Doctors often suggest that pregnant women avoid things like coffee, tea, and soda, which may have a slight diuretic effect. It is also typically considered helpful for pregnant women to avoid drinking anything in the last few hours before bedtime and that they attempt to empty their bladders completely before going to sleep. Bending forward while urinating can help to ensure that the bladder empties all of i’s fluid. Some women have success with these tips, but others claim that nothing helps to end frequent urination in pregnancy. If avoiding diuretic fluids and drinks before bed does not help with frequent urination symptoms, most women can rest assured that they only have to suffer with it until the baby is born, at which point their symptoms typically end.