The past few years urinary frequency has become an ongoing situation - sometimes every 15 minutes. I chalked it off to the fibroid I have or other hormonal changes. I mentioned it to the gyno but she did not seem concerned but did order a urine test for UTI which was negative. The weird thing is that it comes and goes sometimes for days on end or a day here or there. I finally realized this morning that there may be something else going on. The problem is noticeably worse when I take a supplement of any kind - vitamin, iron, magnesium, etc. Is it possible that there is an ingredient in these things which causes bladder irritation. I didn't take anything this morning and am just fine. I know if I mention this to a doc they will think I am nuts. Anyone else have this happen?

A lot of vitamins and minerals either displace water or have somewhat of a diuretic effect. Just be sure you are not reducing the salt in your diet, as it can help hold in that water, and drink plenty of water so you don't dehydrate.

I've also had this happen to me, except it's accompanied by urinary urgency--the second I feel the urge, I have to go NOW and if I'm not close to a bathroom, I will wet myself. So embarrassing. It's called urge incontinence. I remember studying about the various types of incontinence in nursing school, thinking that happened to old people and wasn't a concern of mine. So depressing to know that I now fall in that category.

Hi "orngkat06",

yes this happens to me as well! I have this PLENTY! It drives me NUTS, and i end up getting up all night long! I can't even sleep! When this "hits", it's bad! Even when i try to lay down, and go to sleep, it's there, at least the FEELING is.....and it makes me have to get up AGAIN and "try" just to satisfy my brain that the feeling i have in there, is only a feeling, and that apparently my bladder is EMPTY! This symptom can be so distressing, and embarassing.
When i am dealing with that, i alwasy have to think ahead when I go out, ... i have to think of where a bathroom would be located! GEEZ! I also notice, that just drinking water (bottled distilled water, which really is the best for you), starts it up too....not always, but it can. So, then, how am I supposed to get any water? UGH! I know that magnesium helps this, so I do take that as well! But right now, during peri.............the urethra, and any part of our bodies that have membranes, dry up, and become overly sensitive, so,.....we're feeling tiny little drops of urine in there, which normally, we wouldn't have even felt!

Try the magnesium, see what it does. (i know you mentioned taking vits. and minerals,....i do too......but what I do is take the magnesium ALONE for this......)

This happens to me too - the frequency thing! I chalked it up to my terrible anxiety, but I didn't think about a connection to the supplements...I will start keeping track to see.

It's funny you posted this today and I'm reading it at this moment. Just 2 minutes ago I was saying to myself 'what the heck, I have to go again, I just went 4 times in last 15 min'. I thought it was an anxiety thing too. But I did just start taking more supplements recently so maybe that's it.

I do not take supplements at all and I pee ALOT!!!!!!!!!! Most nights I only get up once but some nights I am up three or four times. When my anxiety is up, I find that I am in the bathroom every 30 mins. I do not have any infections. The only problem that I do know about is that my bladder has fallen some but apparetnly not enough to warrant surgery.

I am non stop on the toilet during my favorite 2 times of the month, ovulation and days before my period.

Isn't it so annoying?? I've developed the same problem, and it seems to come and go at different times of the month.

Hi Gals...

I've had problems with this for ages.....and found culprits for me: (graphic alert!)

Vitamin C
Caffeine
Acidic juices ( orange, cranberry - -yep, makes it worse for me)
Soap unless it is unscented, and I rinse it off fast
water in places where it is heavily chlorinated
Warm humid weather mixed with tight clothing or spandex (yeast infections can irritate the urethra)
Sitting for long periods of time.
most female lubricants ( glycerine feeds bacteria)
most spermicides that I used to use ( it's very close to Soap)
Synthetic undies -they say they wick moisture, but they do NOT wick bacteria!!

Keep clean and light - unscented laundry soaps, even bring a spare pair like a few people I know,
and always use unscented GLYCERINE FREE soap on the private parts. Pat dry ( do not rub, it creates microfissures)
and I always change underwear if I feel damp at all....for any reason including sweat (which bacteria LOVES)
I wear them inside out to avoid seams bugging me and irritating things.
wearing thongs and sitting and standing increases the chances of ecoli entering the urinary track opening area.
Wearing NO underwear has so many problems - even if you are wearing pants all the time.

Keep it clean, unscented, cotton, I wash all undies spearate ( imagine washing them with what's in your sox??)
And it gets better.

HUGS

MB

I think it happens to all of us at one time or another.



If you are leaking urine, you might be lacking testosterone.

I read a study that showed the use of T would help within days.



...and yes, food allergy can cause this. In children that are prone to bed-wetting, pork has been the culprit. It can cause this. I forget why right now.

If you have a urinary track infection (even a small one)...or an overgrowth of e-coli, & etc. ~ D-mannose is the product for you!

D-mannonse is a natural type sugar. It makes bacteria & etc. too slippery to attach to the urinary track. It is a wonderful product. You can look it up. Instead of taking antibiotics, you can use this. It has no die off reaction.

It's funny...but horse breeders use this instead of spending lots of money on antibiotics on their horses. Antibiotics for horses can cost over $100.00 a day. D~Mannose is cheap to use. Plus it is SAFE.

Please research this,

Shebee

Great info, thanks SheBee!!!!

Dear MaryBeth
Thank you for sharing all this interesting information.It is really helpful
I have noticed I need to keep running to the bathroom if I am very anxious.

Stay Well
Warm Wishes

I had frequency (going at least every hour, but only dribbling a little bit of urine) and weak slow urinary stream with kind of an irritated feeling in my bladder. When I started using estradiol for my other symptoms :-) the urinary stuff cleared up too!

COOL! That's great!!! :-)

HUGZ,
MB

That's exactly how it feels . . . like little drops of urine in there. I think you nailed it there, mydarling - we become ultra sensitive down there and can feel everything - some days are worse than others.

It's really the most maddening thing. I think I read somewhere (on the PS boards, maybe??) that a decrease in estrogen is what causes this. I can't remember, exactly -- but we know that we never used to feel like this, so it must have to do with hormonal changes. I always take a few, extra antiobiotics (per my urologist's instructions) and try to let it run its course. Eventually, the feeling goes away (temporarily, at least).

I have been having this problem too. Well, others to go along with it. In the last 2 months I have had 2 bacterial infections where I needed to use Metronidazole and one UTI....and I am still feeling bladder pressure and pain. My gyn has me seeing a Urologist b/c she is at a loss. I used to notice the frequency of urination just after a period but I haven't cycled since 2/11/09. I also was suggested to try rePhresh to help balance the PH there but am now afraid to use anything for fear of doing more harm. I guess I threw it off by using too harsh of a soap...now it is just warm water. Has anyone heard of Interstital Cystitis? In researching constant bladder pain, I came along this....wondering if it may be what I am experiencing. And one of the poster's on here hit it on the nail regarding certain foods. Anything acidic from tomatoes, strawberry's, cranberry juice to caffeine, soda, wine are all big NO NO's if you have IC/PBS (painful bladder syndrome). I am at a loss right now. I have been having these episodes the last 3 years but this last few months have been more then before. I will see the Urologist on the 27th...hopefully, he will be able to do some testing and I can get some answers.

What do most women use to clean the vaginal area? Is it really just warm water? I just do not feel clean, especially after working out or riding 10 miles on my bike.....so is there something that you can use to cleanse the vaginal area? Geez, I feel like an idiot.

I may have already mentioned this somewhere but my frequency really slowed down when I stopped taking supplements of any kind. My guess is the citric acid and or stearates in so many of them were irritating my bladder

As far as supplements, I think it is very important to drink plenty of water when taking vitamins, etc. The body regulates the amount of everything it needs and when it has too much (as is often the case when taking lots of vitamins), it wants to get rid of it. Frequent urination is obviously the way to do that.

I don't take vitamins, supplements, etc. but do find that urinary frequency has become a huge issue during perimenopause. I guess hormonal fluctuations are the reason.



Yes, you are right ---food allergies do cause bedwetting and other urinary problems (have learned from first-hand experience in my family and consulting with allergy specialists)....