Can exercising cause the urge to urinate?

Question

Hi doctor,

I am a 34-year-old female weighing 203 pounds. I have no children and I am not taking any medications, and I do not smoke or drink alcohol. I have been working out regularly over the past few weeks and have started losing weight. I have been feeling great. However, I recently noticed a sensation like my bladder was full, but when I went to pee, it was not full. This has been happening since then. I do not have a urinary tract infection (UTI) or yeast infection. My urine is clear, and I have no pain or burning sensation when urinating. Last week, I began doing some intense stretching exercises in my lower abdomen.

Is it possible that stretching my lower abdomen could have strained my muscles and made my bladder more sensitive? I typically sleep through the night and only wake up once to use the bathroom, which is normal for me because I drink water before bedtime. However, when I walk, I feel like I need to urinate even though my bladder is not full. This sensation is not as noticeable when I am sitting down. It seems to have started suddenly overnight, and the only change I can attribute it to is the stretching exercises I have been doing. It is really bothersome. I have anxiety and tend to fixate on things. Besides this issue, I do not have any other symptoms. I have been considering stress urinary incontinence (SUI), but I have not found information suggesting it can develop so quickly.

Please help.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Sorry to hear that this is bothering you.

The answer to your question is no bladder symptoms cannot be brought on by stretching. Please help me with a few more details:

Have you given natural birth (normal delivery) to any children?
Do you suffer from constipation?
When you do pee, how much urine you are voiding?
Do you feel like you have to strain to pee?
Do you suffer from pelvic organ prolapse?

I would recommend you get at least a urine routine and culture test done to be sure that we are not dealing with a UTI (urinary tract infection).

Thank you.

Answer 2

Hi,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

It is certainly not an SUI (stress urinary continence). SUI means leakage of urine on exertion. There can be a few reasons for this:

A fibroid that is pressing on your bladder.
A bulky uterus which could weigh down on the bladder when you stand.
A vaginal infection or inflammation which can cause such symptoms.

What I would recommend is that you get some tests done just to be on the safe side: Ultrasound KUB (kidney, ureter, and urinary bladder), and uroflowmetry. I am prescribing you a urinary supplement that helps keep your urine clean (it is not an antibiotic) for one month, tablet Cranpac D (Cranberry extract and D-Mannose) daily in the morning and night, and tablet Mirabegron 25 mg on alternate days in the morning for one month. Consume lemonade or cranberry juice at least two to three times a week. Please review back with the tests and start the medications and let me know if they give you any benefit.

Best wishes.