Why Do Pregnant Women Pee So Much?

There are several reasons why you might begin feeling more need to pee when you are pregnant. They include:

Hormones. During pregnancy, some of your hormones will surge. Progesterone (a hormone from the ovaries) and human chorionic gonadotropin hormone, also known as HCG or the pregnancy hormone, make the blood flow more regularly to your pelvic muscles. Hormones might loosen your pelvic floor muscles, making it hard to hold pee.  

Uterus growth. During the third trimester (six to nine months), your womb gets large enough that it may start pressing against the bladder. This might cause you to experience frequent urges to go to the bathroom. The added pressure on your bladder makes you feel like you need to constantly urinate.

Weak pelvic floor muscles. In some cases, the muscles that support the bladder, bowel, and uterus may become weaker during pregnancy. This may result in a pregnancy pee increase.

Body fluid increases. When you get pregnant, your body produces more fluids than before the pregnancy.

Kidney efficiency. Your kidney will usually increase its efficiency when you start carrying a baby. This, coupled with more fluid production, causes your peeing frequency and amount to increase.

‌Urinary Leakage

Sometimes you may feel the urge to pee, but when you get to the bathroom, the amount of pee that comes out is tiny compared to the urge you were feeling. Sometimes you might experience some urinary leakage when you:

• Sneeze
• Laugh
• Cough
• Exercise

It is a good idea to pee as soon as you get the urge to do so. Don't stress your bladder trying to hold it in.

Kegel Exercises

If you're uncomfortable with the urine urgency, consider practicing Kegel exercises. This exercise helps in strengthening your pelvic floor muscles. Strong pelvic floor muscles may help you to control urine flow. You basically squeeze the same muscles as if stopping your pee, then hold them for a few seconds and release them. Kegel exercise may also be useful after delivering your baby.

Here is how you perform kegel exercises:

• Tighten your pelvic floor muscles
• Hold your muscles for as long as you can, usually more than 10 seconds.
• Release your muscles.
• Repeat the exercise as often as possible.

‌You might consider practicing Kegel exercises even before pregnancy. When your pelvic muscles are strong, you're able to control your urine flow better.

Other Treatment Methods

In addition to Kegel exercises, other treatment methods for pregnancy pee increase may include:

• Reducing caffeine intake. Caffeinated products are diuretics, which means they make you urinate more frequently. Reducing caffeine intake also helps prevent pregnancy complications.
• Staying hydrated. Drink water regularly to increase your bladder's holding capacity. It's tempting to reduce water intake to reduce trips to the bathroom, but your baby might be at risk if you don't drink enough water.
• Appropriate exercise. Some exercises, like lifting weights and squats, may cause leaks. To avoid this, try exercises like pilates that strengthen your pelvic floor muscles.
• Lose excess weight. Being overweight may weaken your pelvic floor muscles, causing leakage.
• Choose the proper diet. Try as much as possible not to eat acidic and spicy foods. These foods may irritate your bladder, thus increasing the number of times you have to pee.
• Avoiding drinking and smoking. Alcohol is a diuretic, while smoking puts you at risk of experiencing urinary incontinence.

There isn't much you can do to prevent pee urgency, but you can manage it. It's a naturally occurring process in women who are pregnant. It also has to happen as your baby grows.

Although an increase in peeing frequency is normal in pregnancy, it might also be a sign of urinary tract infection or gestational diabetes, which is diabetes that occurs during pregnancy.

Some signs and symptoms that might help you establish whether you have a urinary tract infection include:

• Cloudy urine
• Pain when urinating
• Urgency to pee
• Burning sensation when peeing
• Foul-smelling urine ‌

‌Some symptoms that might occur if you have gestational diabetes include:

• Frequent urination
• Unusual thirst
• Nausea
• Fatigue‌

‌Please consult with your doctor when you feel the urge to pee frequently, especially if it is combined with other symptoms, to ensure it is not caused by an infection. Your doctor can assess whether your pregnancy pee frequency is normal or not.