What are the consequences of holding your pee?

Dear Reader, 

While sometimes you can’t help it, holding in your pee for extended periods isn’t recommended because it puts a strain on your bladder. The bladder is stretchy and can expand to store the pee your body makes, up until a point. When the bladder is pushed to its limit, your ability to know when you need to pee might be disturbed; you might have trouble keeping it in; or you might experience infections. While blood infections and death are possible consequences, you’d have to continually hold it for a long time to experience those impacts. If you want to expand your mind (not your bladder!) on the topic, read on! 

How much liquid can the bladder hold? 

The amount of pee your bladder can hold changes as you age. When you’re a child, your bladder is smaller and can hold less urine. As a result, children may have to pee more often. As you reach adulthood, your bladder grows—like the rest of your body—and its volume capacity increases. The adult bladder can hold around 300 to 400 milliliters (about 13.53 ounces). As you get older, however, bladder muscles—which normally function by expanding to hold pee and contracting to let it out—begin to weaken which may lower the bladder’s ability to hold urine or let it out fully. 

How often should you pee?  

It’s generally recommended to pee around eight times during the day—this is around every three to four hours—and no more than once per night. However, how often you feel the urge to pee typically depends on your age, how much liquid you drink, your bladder size, and any diuretic consumption—in addition to any medication or health conditions that impact bladder health.  

It’s another thing entirely if you feel your constant need to pee is disrupting your ability to live your life. If this is the case, this may be a sign of other conditions, like UTIs or diabetes. The best way to know if it is tied to another condition is to speak with a health care provider.  

Otherwise, when you feel the sensation to go pee, you shouldn’t ignore it. As the kids these days are saying, “go piss, girl!” 

What happens when you hold in your pee?  

If you continually hold in your pee when you have the urge to go, you might end up with: 

• Bladder dysfunction: Bladders send signals to the brain telling us when to visit the bathroom. Holding in your urine on purpose causes the body to override the signals to the brain, which can lead to involuntary leaking of pee (incontinence). 
• UTIs: Peeing is a big way that bodies get rid of bacteria. Holding in pee increases the number of bacteria in the bladder, which can lead to UTIs. This can cause damage to multiple parts of the urinary tract system. 
• Bladder rupture: In rare cases, the bladder gives out when it can’t hold any more liquid. If the bladder bursts, there can be dangerous consequences including sepsis (blood infection) and kidney failure. 

Can you get a blood infection from ignoring a bladder infection?  

Bladder infections are a type of UTI, but not all UTIs are considered bladder infections. Bladder infections could turn into a blood infection when the bacteria reach the kidneys and enter the bloodstream. Blood infections can be extremely dangerous and lead to organ damage, organ failure, and even death. If you have a blood infection, which you might experience via symptoms like difficulty breathing and rapid heart rate, it’s important to seek urgent medical attention. 

Can you die from holding in your pee?  

While rare, it is possible to die due to bladder ruptures and bladder-related blood infections from holding in your pee for too long. It’s best to listen to your body and pee when you need to, to avoid these fatal consequences. That said, you likely won’t die if this is just an occasional occurrence. 

After learning all of this, you might be turned off from holding in your pee. But if you want to change your ways, it might be helpful to first identify what’s holding you back. Do you find it hard to find time to pee during a busy day? Are you bothered by using public bathrooms? Are you able to listen to your body’s cues?  

If you don’t have these blocks or if you just hold your pee from time to time, feel free to flush your fear down the toilet. But if you do identify certain blocks, it may be helpful to talk with a mental health provider to find creative workarounds so you can pee more freely.  

Gotta go!