Whatis urinary retention?Urinary retention is when you have trouble emptying your bladder. This can mean that:●You can pass some urine, but can't empty your bladder fully.●You can't urinate at all.Urinaryretention is caused by a problem with your urinary tract or the nerves thatcontrol it. The urinary tract is the group of organs in the body that make andstore urine . It includes the:●Kidneys – These are 2 bean-shaped organs that filter blood tomake urine.●Ureters – These are 2 tubes that carry urine from the kidneys tothe bladder.●Bladder – This is a balloon-shaped organ that stores urine.●Urethra – This is the tube that carries urine from the bladderto the outside of the body.Urinaryretention can be "acute" or "chronic." Acute urinaryretention happens suddenly, and needs to be treated right away.Whatare the symptoms of urinary retention?The symptoms of acuteand chronic urinary retention are slightly different.●Acute urinaryretention – This is when you are suddenly not able to urinate. Symptoms caninclude:•Not being able urinate, even if you feel a strong urge•Pain or discomfort – This caused by the full bladder puttingpressure on the organs around it. The pain or discomfort can be severe.Acute urinary retention is an emergency. If youthink that you have acute urinary retention, get help right away.●Chronic urinaryretention – This is when you have more and more trouble urinating over time.Symptoms can include:•Being able to pass some urine, but feeling like the bladder isnot empty after•Not having a strong urge to urinate•Having a urine steam that is slow or irregular•Trouble getting started urinating, such as needing to strain orpush on your belly to get the urine to come outWhatcauses urinary retention?Many different things can cause urinaryretention. Some possible causes include:●Something blocking the flow of urine – For example, this mightbe caused by:•Kidney stones•Benign prostatic hyperplasia – This is when the prostate glandis enlarged and pushes on the urethra.•Pelvic floor prolapse – This can affect people with a vagina. Ithappens when the muscles are not strong enough to support the organs in thepelvis. These include the bladder, uterus, and rectum. This causes the organsto bulge into spaces they are not meant to be in.•The urethra being too narrow•Having too much muscle tone around the urethra●Problems with the bladder muscle – These include poor muscletone and damage to the nerves that control the muscle.●Problems with other muscles in the pelvic floor●Certain types of anesthesia or surgery●Certain medicines – For example, urinary retention can be causedby medicines used to treat seizures, high blood pressure, or allergies.●Infection●Injury to the pelvis, urethra, or penis●Constipation●Giving birthWillI need tests?Yes. To check for acute urinaryretention, tests might include:●Ultrasound to check the bladder – An ultrasound is a type ofimaging test. Imaging tests create pictures of the inside of the body. Theultrasound can show if your bladder is full.●Inserting a catheter – A catheter is a thin, flexible tube. Itcan be inserted into the bladder through the urethra. Inserting a catheterallows the bladder to empty. The doctor or nurse will measure the amount ofurine that was in your bladder to see if your bladder was full.Tocheck for chronic urinaryretention, tests might include:●Postvoid residual ("PVR") urine test – For this test,the doctor or nurse will first ask you to urinate. Then, they measure how muchurine is left in your bladder. This can be done using an ultrasound or byinserting a catheter. You might need to have this test done a few times.Youmight also need other tests to find out what is causing your urinary retention.Howis urinary retention treated?Treatment includesboth emptying the bladder and treating the underlying problem.Toempty the bladder, a catheter is placed. There are a few different types ofcatheters that can be used:●"Indwelling" catheter – This is a thin tube that isinserted into the urethra and then left in place. Urine drains out of thebladder, through the catheter, and into a collection bag.●"Intermittent" catheter – This type of catheter isinserted on a schedule when the bladder needs to be emptied. Then, it isremoved and thrown away. When the bladder needs to be emptied again, a newcatheter is used. Your doctor or nurse can teach you how to use this type ofcatheter yourself, if needed. This type of catheter is less likely to cause aurinary tract infection than an indwelling catheter.●"Suprapubic" catheter – This type of catheter isplaced surgically. It is usually only used if the other types can't be used. Itcomes out of the body above the genitals, but below the belly button.Somepeople need to use a catheter for a short time, but others need it for longer.Othertreatments depend on what is causing your urinary retention. They mightinclude:●Pelvic floor muscle training – This involves learning exercisesto strengthen and relax your pelvic muscles. These include the muscles thatcontrol the flow of urine and bowel movements.●Stopping or changing a medicine that you take●Taking new medicines●A vaginal pessary – This is a device to treat pelvic organprolapse. It fits inside the vagina to support the bladder and push it backinto place. Pessaries come in different shapes and sizes. Your doctor or nursewill talk to you about your options and make sure that your pessary fits yourbody.●Bladder training – This is when you urinate at scheduled timesduring the day. Try not to urinate until these times.●Surgery – This is usually only needed if other treatments didnot work.