Pregnant and Can't pee (Page 1)

I added this post in the pregnancy Q&A, you might get some answers here as well.

Seeing a urologist would be a good idea, they can run some tests or advise you as to what might be happening.

Keep us posted...Congrats on the pregnancy..

I had the same problem went to the ER on Sunday and Tuesday night- with not being able to urinate. My obgyn told me to go to a urologist. I went today and he did a quick exam and didn't want to do any tests because I was pregnant. The only thing he gave me was medicine to help me urinate more- just what I need. Plus I have a catheter I have to wear for 2 more days. I have a feeling I will be wearing this for awhile. I just want to see if there are any tests- to make sure what everyone is saying is what I have and nothing is serious with my baby (I'm 14 weeks pregnant). Anyone else have any tests done?

k.kelly

I hope you still visit this website and can answer my questions. I too had the same exact symptoms you mentioned right down to the time of night I woke up and how far along I was in my pregnancy. After trying everything I could think of to go on my own, I ended up at the doctor's office to have a catheter put in. My question to you is this, did you eventually have your baby and was he/she physically healthy?

The reason I ask is this, three weeks later, we found out we lost our baby (they estimate gestational age at death to be about the time I had problems peeing). This was the second time I experienced this problem during a pregnancy. With our fourth child, this happened a few times, but I was eventually able to pee on my own. Our fourth child was born without her left hand.

After losing our fifth child, I started to wonder if this urinary problem is somehow hurting my unborn children and if we should have any more kids in the future. Please reply if you still visit this site.

This can be caused by having a tilted uterus! Mine is tilted. I've been looking up all that I could about it. It can cause miscarriage and not being able to pee. Doctors CAN fix it! Maybe ask you doc next time you get a pelvic exam!

I had this problem with my second child and he was born fine and healthy. I had to get a catheter 2 times before we figured out a solution. I ended up setting an alarm at night to wake up every two hours to pee. I found that if I went to the bathroom every two hours at night that I was able to empty my bladder on my own. If I let it go further than that I would be unable to pee. I'm now pregnant with my third child and am just starting to show signs that this may be happening again. I may need to begin setting my alarm at night now. For me the problem cleared up last time around 20 weeks. From my experience I'd say that the problem peeing is unrelated to the loss of your child and the birth defect of the other. Of course I don't know for sure, but at least you know it's possible to have the problem and for the baby to be fine.

I am having the same symptoms. I woke up this morning and could not pee but my bladder felt full. I went to the hospital and they inserted a catheter and drained 450 ml of pee. My urine test came back negative for an infection. Now, I'm scared to drink anything because I don't want to go back to the hospital. I'm almost 16 weeks pregnant. I've never had anything like this happen before.

jessbellis, how are you feeling now? I haven't been on my computer the past couple of weeks and just saw your post. I hope your pregnancy is still going well. Please keep me posted on how you are doing. My husband and I are a bit apprehensive to try again, given the problems with our last two prenancies. Out of curiosity, may I ask your age? I'm 37 and wonder if age is also an issue. The doctor could not give us a definitive answer as to whether this was a cause of our problems, a symptom that there was a problem or just a coincidence. I hope this note finds you and your little one doing well. Take care of yourself!

Thanks to these posts I woke my husband and had him take me to the emergency room after not being able to go to the bathroom for over four hours. My bladder was having spasms and there was blood from my body trying so hard to empty my bladder. when I got to the hospital they put in a catheter and I felt relief right away. Unfortunately on the way home I started to feel the urge to pee again and could not. I was immediately in pain once again. I then called my doctors office and started the drive there in horrible pain. They had to do another catheter and then an ultrasound that showed my twins were just fine but that my uterus and bladder were fighting each other for room. I have a tilted uterus that tips backwards that seems to be the culprit. The doctor was able to shift my uterus so that my bladder was no longer blocked. I now am on a schedule to go to the bathroom once an hour during the day and every two hours at night so that my bladder does not get full enough to get blocked by my uterus again. So far so good. I have been home a few hours and have been able to go on my own, Hopefully this will not happen again. It is the most painful thing I have experienced in pregnancy! This is my first twin pregnancy, I was fine with both of my daughters pregnancies (with tilted uterus then too). If this happens to you get help right away! There is something your doctor can do.

how did the doctor shift your uterus?- I was thinking about talking to my ob about your post.

Hi everyone,

Thank you for your postings! I have been fine ever since that morning. The doctor could not explain why that happened. I was really scared to go to the bathroom when I got home from the hospital because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to pee but I was. I haven't had any problems since. I am 18 weeks pregnant and so far so good. I didn't get an ultrasound though when I was at the hospital, the doctor/nurse didn't seem too concerned. My doctor said if it happens again then he will talk to my ob. I have an ultrasound in 2 weeks and I also see my ob then as well. I am 27 years old (for those who wanted to know). I have a 4 year old son and this did not happen to me when I was pregnant with him. I noticed that someone also had a tilted (retroverted)uterus and I have the same. I'm nost sure if that could have been the reason.
Congratulations to all of you who are expecting and got past this problem! I just think it was a weird thing that happened and no one can seem to explain why!

jessbellis & lilmul is the same person (I had to make a new account because I could not remember my password)

I'm so happy to hear your pregnancies are still going well, that gives me hope ) I too have a tipped uterus, so that must be an underlying cause of this problem. It is strange it didn't happen in my first three pregnancies, just in the last two. Perhaps age also plays a role. Best wishes to you all.

I know it is extrememly uncomfortable and a little scarry to not be able to pee when you really have to go, but barring any infection that you should rule out with your dr, this is not that uncommon at this stage in pregnancy. My first experience with this was between 11 and 18 weeks during my fourth pregnancy, it happended again in my fifth and now my sixth pregnancies. It all has to do with the position of your uterus. I have found that if I change my position and try to jiggle the baby a little, things will shift and I will finally be able to relieve myself. Don't strain too hard as you can injure yourself. Don't be afraid. You will survive And it will be worth it!

Ok so I am almost 13 weeks preggo and have had problems the last three nights peeing. First night I had a full bladder and it just trickled out. Second night same full bladder but it took about 5 mins of sitting on the potty to start and then a trickle to empty. Last night I was having cramps I had to pee so bad and couldnt pee. I waited for about 20 mins and still nothing. I was in pain and almost woke up my husband to take me to the ER but stuck it out or a little while. Long story short, it took me about an hour after it started trickling to empty my bladder. I am not showing any symptoms at all during the day, just at night. I have an appt in the morning but thought if I could get any insight I would appreciate it.

Hi,
I am 11 weeks and this is also happening to me because of my tipped uterus. I am told it was eventually push forward with the weight of the baby. My dr gave me some exercises to do 4 times a day 20 min. each. Get on your knees with your bottom in the air and head on the floor. Also stand up and grab your ankles. Anything with your bottom up with help forward your uterus. She says it will eventually correct itself around 20 weeks. Also she said taking a warm bath with help relax the muscles and may help you pee. This helped me last night.

Don't lay on your back, it makes the uterus go backward. Probably why it happens mostly at night.
There is a very rare chance surgery may have to happen, but again extremely rare, she said out of 100 patients she has seen with the condition only one needed the surgery.

I hope this info helps you, were in it together!

Im 34 weeks, and i just now noticed that when I have to pee, its very hard, I get a really bad pain in the lower front of my uterus. I push and nothing comes out, it is very painful, but I also have really bad pelvic pain, dr said round ligament pain! but it hurts to sit, walk, roll over in bed at night, and now with a full bladder and in alot of pain, dont really know what to do. does anyone have advice for either pain??

Hi there,

I am 12 weeks pregnant and I cannot urinate at night time as well. I have a Dr's appointment with a Urologist at 10 am this morning. I am 42 years old and I also have an upside down urteris. I am really scared that there is something wrong with the baby. This has been going on for 3 weeks now. My OBGYN was not much help at all. He tested for a bladder infection twice and it came back normal. This is seeming more and more common based on the posts that I am reading. I am very surprised that they do not have a cure for this. Yes, it us unbarrable (sp). I will write back to tell you what happens today at the Urologist. Good luck to you all.

Danielle,
My uterus flipped at 12 weeks and 1 day and like you I couldn't urinate at night for about 3 weeks also. Yours will soon be fine, I thought mine would never correct itself and it did. My doctor who has seen quite a few of these cases says they all correct themselves around twelve weeks. Don't lie on your back and it's a good idea to get up every 2 hours to urinate so it's not that full, that's the best advice I received.

I am 28 years old on my second pregnancy. I didn''t have this problem on my earlier pregnancy. I am 15 weeks pregnant and have the same problem to not be able to pee, mostly after just waking up. I naturally get up every 3 hrs to pee at night. One time I got up to pee and sat on the potty a good 40 minutes and could not pee. Went to the ER where they did urine tests for infections. Came back clean. ER doctor told me to stop taking my anti-vomiting medication(I have really bad morning sickness,)he said that the medication Zofran was making it worse. I stopped taking it. I am still having this problem this morning, it took way too much effort from me to pee, but at least I was able to. I don''t know if I have a tilted uterus. I try not to lay on my back, since they say you aren''t supposed to when pregnant, so I lay on my sides. The ER had scheduled me with a urologist, since they left my catheter in place overnight, the urologist nurse just took out the catheter and didn''t know why I was even there. I didn''t even see the urologist himself since he was not there. Kaiser is dumb. I feel so out of answers. I will try and talk to my obgyn, hopefully she can check if I have a tilted uterus and a solution for it.

I hope this helps someone. I am about 14 weeks pregnant and the other morning I went to the er not being able to pee. I had been having symptoms for about 2 weeks of having a hard time going. At the er they catheter and released over 600cc''s of urine. I felt great. I was able to get into my obgyn a few hours later. She knew right away what it was. I hope I get this right: She said I have a retroverted uterus which is not turning as the baby grows. Since I am growing the uterus was getting in the way of the cervix and both of those caused a pinching of the pee tube to put it bluntly. I was in the operating room a few hours later, given a light sedative, and she went in there and positioned things to where they are supposed to be. I have been peeing fine every since. She told me it was rare. She also told me it''s not uncommon for doctors to miss it. She has been doing this for long long time. She is a great doctor. She also told me it''s not normal not to be able to pee, so don''t stop till you find an answer.

Hi. I am 13 weeks pregnant and also have a retroverted uterus. I got up one morning and could not urinate. I went to the er and had to get drained. I was discharged and had to go back again because I still couldnt go. I called my doc and he said he doesn't think the uterus is my problem and it's urological. What state are you in and who is your doc? Maybe I need a second opinion.

I just started having the same symptoms theother day and went to my Dr today because they thought I had a UTI. I came back clean with no infection but he said I have bladder spasms and need to make sure I empty my bladder every hour or when I first feel the sensation to urinate. Hope this helps anyone else reading these posts.

Thatast post was very interesting. I am about 12 weeks into my 10th (7 live births and 3 miscarriages) pregnancy and am starting having trouble with the night peeing. This happened with my las few pregnancies in the first trimester. I just assumed it was because our muscles become so relaxed that the one in charge of releasing the pee was being lazy! I only have this problem if I try to go right after waking from a long sleep. If I lie in bed awake for about 20 minutes before going then I''m fine. I always just figured that it''s taking some parts of my body longer to wake up! Anyway, that was the first thing I thought of the first time I noticed this. That''s why I did not seek help. I assumed it was a normal annoying symptom I''ve never had before. I wonder that so many doctors don''t know about this! It seems doctors are often ignorant when we really need to know what''s going on. I wonder if it just theposition of my uterus. Never thought of that. Thanks for the information! After having this happen for three pregnancies I finally decided to see if anyone else has this problem and why.

I had a similar experience as some of the other gals had in these posts. I am 32 years old and in my first pregnancy. I was about the 14th weeks pregnant and I also have a tilted uterus (I dont know which way).

**If you are having this problem- do not drink anything! And if it has already been a couple hours, just go to the ER and get a catheter put in. It will only hurt worse the longer you wait.**

The week prior to my trouble, I had difficulty peeing, but just tried to relax and after 10-15 minutes it finally emptied. I thought it was strange but didnt worry about it. The following week I was unable to pee during the afternoon time at work. I spent about a couple hours trying, even going to a fast food chain to see if the change of environment would help. I got scared, and called my midwifes office. The midwife on call suggested that I walk around, or sing, or stretch or take a warm shower, and just try to relax those muscles. She told me that if that didnt work I would need to get a catheter put in. I walked around and tried to stretch. Singing was difficult as I was becoming rather anxious. It had now been about 3 hours with an increasingly already full bladder and I was in a lot of pain from pushing on my bladder. (It is a bad idea to push too hard to pee your muscles know what to do and that makes it worse). My husband came to get me and we drove an hour to get home. I was in tears all the way home because of the bladder pain and my distress. I got home and took a hot shower to see if that would help and did some stretches, and none of them worked. It had now been 4 hours. I told my husband to look online to get ideas on what to do- and he found this website. He told me that the gals didnt get relief until they got a catheter put in. I couldnt imagine getting in the car again. It hurt to walk because my bladder was so full. The ER said that the paramedics would not put a catheter in, they would just pick me up and take me back to the hospital. So my husband said we had to go, and took me to the hospital. I really was wondering if my bladder would burst and if I would live through this. I know it sounds dramatic, but really it is an upsetting experience. The ER was thankfully very kind as I told them I was pregnant and unable to pee for about 5 hours now and also I wasnt even able to sit down in the lobby. They got me in within 10 minutes thankfully. I was scared of the catheter pain but I didnt feel it because my bladder hurt so much. After they put in the catheter - the bag had 1 liter of urine and by the time we left 1.5 liters.
They had me keep the catheter in as they didnt want me to return again later on that night, which I agreed would not be good. The catheter burned at first like a bladder infection, but the next day it did feel better. The midwifes office said they wanted me to go to a urologist so I made an apt, but the urologist wanted me to wait a week and keep the catheter in (to make sure everything settled down inside). I also had a regularly scheduled apt the next day with my midwife. Thankfully the midwife disagreed with the urologist and took it out. (It was making me bleed a little because of getting up and sitting back down at work- the bag was taped to my leg and I wore clothes over it). The midwife said she had heard of this once before, and then she said she would try to help but wasnt sure it would work. She tried to straighten my uterus. She pushed upwards inside my vagina very gently with slow and steady pressure. She was trying to move it to the right spot. My uterus is supposed to straighten out by the latest 20 weeks, but there is not guarantee on exactly when. The rest of the day and next day my uterus did feel sore from being pushed on. She then gave me some exercises to try. The first one is to put yourself in like a stink bug position. Your face on the ground and your behind in the air, and try to keep your back straight. Stay there for a while and then lift up your upper torso and stretch upwards, arching your back, like a cat stretch. Then relax and start again. I do these several times every evening. Someone said to spend like 20 minutes in that stink bug position. I havent- thankfully- had the problem come back again. However, I do worry every time I go to the bathroom that it might happen again. I try to not to let my bladder ever get full. I don't know if maybe the larger the bladder gets if it takes up more space and the competition with the uterus makes this happen?
They have done an ultrasound since then and the baby is fine. I went to the urologist the following week and she knew nothing at all of this kind of situation. She had never heard of it before, and she had no advice. I was disappointed.
There are cases where people are unable to pee because of a bladder infection. I have read one girl was able to pee when she stood up. You can also try the exercises or the warm shower. However, if none of these apply or work for you- then just go get the catheter put in. I waited too long and only caused myself more pain. Also dont push too hard. One of the gals had blood in her urine from pushing too hard. It only makes it worse if you do that.
I dont know why it happens, but it is something to do with the uterus growing just large enough to move outwards and block your bladder. Maybe the uterus blocks the urethra (the tube that empties your bladder)? It seems to happen if you have a tipped uterus. Eventually the baby grows upward and weighs more and the uterus straightens out and it shouldnt happen.
If you are reading this and are going through this- you will be OK. I made it 5 hours. You can too. Hang in there. Just get to the ER if it has already been over 2 hours.

Two weeks ago I awoke in the night with the same thing, I could not pee, I went to A&E and was told it was probably an infection and to take some pain killers and drink plenty of water, I was back in A&E on the same day where I was told I did not have an infection, they inserted a catheter and drained 1ltr, the relief was amazing.

I am currently 16 weeks pregnant and still have a catheter which hopefully will be removed this coming Friday. The Urologist was very helpful with the bladder issues but no one has been very helpful with telling me causes other than it is more than likely my uterus pressing down and should rise with time, so reading everyone's experiences has been a great help, from tonight I will start sleeping on my side instead of my back and I will definitely try some exercise's, I'm desperate for the removal of the catheter it is very uncomfortable.

Last night I woke up having the same thing, I'm 13 weeks pregnant with a tilted uterus. Glad I found this site pretty scary when you know you need to pee & nothing happens. I just wanted to say what worked for me last night to finally pee. First I tried to relaxing trying to push the pee out did nothing. Started with deep breathing then I rocked forward & backward on the toilet pressing my hands on my bladder, it took a little while but then slowly with each rocking back and fourth I started to pee a little (like squirts of pee), I added more pressure on my bladder to help more come out. I'm making a apt. with my doctor as soon as possible. Hope this helps someone like me up at 3:00am not sure what to do