Frequent or Urgent UrinationSymptoms, Doctors, Treatments, Advances & More
Learn About Frequent or Urgent Urination
Frequent urination means needing to urinate more often than usual. Urgent urination is a sudden, strong need to urinate. This causes discomfort in your bladder. Urgent urination makes it difficult to delay passing your urine.
A need to urinate at night is called nocturia. Most people can sleep for 6 to 8 hours without having to urinate.
Urgent urination; Urinary frequency or urgency; Urgency-frequency syndrome; Overactive bladder (OAB) syndrome; Urge syndrome
Common causes of these symptoms are:
- Urinary tract infection (UTI)
- Enlarged prostate in middle-aged and older men
- Swelling and infection of the urethra
- Vaginitis (swelling of or discharge from the vulva and vagina)
- Nerve related problems
- Caffeine intake
Less common causes include:
- Alcohol use
- Anxiety
- Bladder cancer (not common)
- Spine problems
- Diabetes that is not well controlled
- Pregnancy
- Interstitial cystitis
- Medicines such as water pills (diuretics)
- Overactive bladder syndrome
- Radiation therapy to the pelvis, which is used to treat certain cancers
- Stroke and other brain or nervous system diseases
- Tumor or growth in the pelvis
Follow the advice of your health care provider to diagnose and treat the cause of the problem.
It may help to write down the times when you urinate and the amount of urine you produce. Bring this record to your visit with the provider. This is called a voiding diary.
In some cases, you may have problems controlling urine (urinary incontinence) for a period of time. You may need to take steps to protect your clothing and bedding.
For nighttime urination, avoid drinking too much fluid before going to bed. Cut down on the amount of liquids you drink that contain alcohol or caffeine.
Contact your provider right away if:
- You have fever, back or side pain, vomiting, or shaking chills
- You have increased thirst or appetite, fatigue, or sudden weight loss
Also contact your provider if:
- You have urinary frequency or urgency, but you are not pregnant and you are not drinking large amounts of fluid.
- You have incontinence or you have changed your lifestyle because of your symptoms.
- You have bloody or cloudy urine.
- There is a discharge from the penis or vagina.
Your provider will take a medical history and do a physical exam.
Tests that may be done include:
- Urinalysis
- Urine culture
- Cystometry or urodynamic testing (a measurement of the pressure within the bladder and the flow of urine)
- Cystoscopy
- Nervous system tests (for some urgency problems)
- Ultrasound (such as an abdominal ultrasound or a pelvic ultrasound)
Treatment depends on the cause of the urgency and frequency. You may need to take antibiotics and medicine to ease your discomfort.
MUSC Health Urology At Rutledge Tower
Eric Rovner is a Urologist practicing medicine in Charleston, South Carolina. Dr. Rovner is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Frequent or Urgent Urination. He is also highly rated in 14 other conditions, according to our data. His clinical expertise encompasses Urinary Incontinence, Stress Urinary Incontinence, Frequent or Urgent Urination, Reconstructive Urology Surgery, and Bladder Reconstruction. Dr. Rovner is currently accepting new patients.
Uc San Diego Health La Jolla-Women's Pelvic Medicine
Linda Brubaker is an Obstetrics and Gynecologist practicing medicine in San Diego, California. Dr. Brubaker is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Frequent or Urgent Urination. She is also highly rated in 8 other conditions, according to our data. Her clinical expertise encompasses Urinary Incontinence, Stress Urinary Incontinence, Frequent or Urgent Urination, Uterine Prolapse, and Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). Dr. Brubaker is currently accepting new patients.
Duke Urogynecology Patterson Place
Cindy Amundsen is an Obstetrics and Gynecologist practicing medicine in Durham, North Carolina. Dr. Amundsen is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Frequent or Urgent Urination. She is also highly rated in 6 other conditions, according to our data. Her clinical expertise encompasses Urinary Incontinence, Frequent or Urgent Urination, Stress Urinary Incontinence, Sacral Nerve Stimulation, and Hysterectomy. Dr. Amundsen is currently accepting new patients.
Summary: A Post-Market Prospective Clinical Investigation to collect PMCF data on the safety and performance of the Cefar URO device when using the preset program P4 (parameter setting: frequency 20Hz, pulse width 200μs) for the symptomatic treatment of urge incontinence in adults with overactive bladder in accordance with the approved labelling. The Cefar URO device features four pre-set programs (P1, P2,...
Summary: To assess the post-market clinical outcomes of the Axonics SNM System for treatment of overactive bladder in male patients.
Published Date: April 19, 2026
Published By: Kelly L. Stratton, MD, FACS, Associate Professor, Department of Urology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
Gharavi AG, Landry DW. Approach to the patient with renal disease. In: Goldman L, Cooney KA, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 27th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2024:chap 100.
Lentz GM, Miller JL. Lower urinary tract function and disorders: Physiology of micturition, voiding dysfunction, urinary incontinence, urinary tract infections, and painful bladder syndrome. In: Gershenson DM, Lentz GM, Valea FA, Lobo RA, eds. Comprehensive Gynecology. 8th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2022:chap 21.
Sebesta EM, Reynolds WS. Overactive bladder. In: Dmochowski RR, Kavoussi LR, Peters CA, et al, eds. Campbell-Walsh-Wein Urology. 13th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2026:chap 110.