Difficulty Urinating
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Try one of these related symptoms.
Takes time to urinate
Have to push to pass urine
Unable to pass urine
Feels like have to urinate but can’t
About the Symptom
Difficulty urinating describes the inability to release urine voluntarily. Usually, when you have the urge to urinate, your body passes the urine with ease. If you need to need to strain or find you are unable to fully empty the bladder despite the urge to urinate, this suggests a difficulty with urination.
When to See a Doctor
Seek professional care if you experience any of the following symptoms
- Need to strain/exert to pass urine
Possible Causes
Generally, Difficulty urinating can be related to:
- Transverse Myelitis
Transverse myelitis is an inflammation of both sides of one section of the spinal cord. There is often damage to the covering of nerve cell fibers (myelin), which interrupts the messages from the spinal cord nerves to the rest of the body. Causes include infections and immune system disorders that attack the body's tissues.
- Uterine Cancer
The vast majority of women develop post-menopausal bleeding as their first symptom of uterine cancer or cancer of the womb. Risk factors include age, with most cases appearing after menopause, a history of estrogen-only hormone treatment, and obesity. Diagnosis is after a pelvic exam, ultrasound, biopsy and other scans to determine whether the cancer has spread.
- Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia
Non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate. Age-related changes in male hormone levels are thought to be the cause. Incidence increases with age with an estimated 80% of men over the age of 70 with BPH. Symptoms may include a weak urinary stream, leakage of urine after voiding and urinating frequently at night (nocturia).
- Neurogenic Bladder
- Familial Amyloid Polyneuropathy
- Drug-Induced Urinary Retention
- Interstitial Cystitis
- Cauda Equina Tumor
- Imperforate Hymen
Related Serious Diseases
Sometimes, Difficulty urinating may be related to these serious diseases:
- Acute Prostatitis
The sudden inflammation of the prostate gland that can be caused by a bacterial infection.
Doctor's Diagnostic Questions
Your doctor may ask these questions to check for this symptom:
- Do you have trouble urinating or need to strain when you urinate?
- How often do you have to strain to urinate?
- How is your need to strain to pass urine now?
- How long have you had to push/strain to pass urine?
Reviewed By:
Kenji Taylor, MD, MSc (Family Medicine, Primary Care)
Dr. Taylor is a Japanese-African American physician who grew up and was educated in the United States but spent a considerable amount of time in Japan as a college student, working professional and now father of three. After graduating from Brown, he worked in finance first before attending medical school at Penn. He then completed a fellowship with the Centers for Disease Control before going on to specialize in Family and Community Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) where he was also a chief resident. After a faculty position at Stanford, he moved with his family to Japan where he continues to see families on a military base outside of Tokyo, teach Japanese residents and serve remotely as a medical director for Roots Community Health Center. He also enjoys editing and writing podcast summaries for Hippo Education.
Nao Saito, MD (Urology)
After graduating from Tokyo Women's Medical University School of Medicine, Dr. Saito worked at Tokyo Women's Medical University Hospital, Toda Chuo General Hospital, Tokyo Women's Medical University Yachiyo Medical Center, and Ako Chuo Hospital before becoming Deputy Director (current position) at Takasaki Tower Clinic Department of Ophthalmology and Urology in April 2020.
Content updated on Mar 17, 2025
Following the Medical Content Editorial Policy
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Link to full study:
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.08.29.24312810v1References
Dougherty JM, Aeddula NR. Male Urinary Retention. [Updated 2022 Aug 10]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK538499/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK538499/