Leaving residual urine in the bladder can lead to bacterial growth and increase the risk of urinary tract infections. It can also cause the need to urinate more often and lead to poor sleep. Doctors may measure residual urine through ultrasound or CT scans to evaluate the bladder and check for underlying conditions such as an enlarged prostate or bladder cancer. It is important to empty the bladder completely to reduce the risk of UTIs.
Residual urine is urine left in the bladder after a person urinates. Emptying the entire contents of the bladder is usually a good idea when possible. Sometimes people who leave urine in the bladder have poor bladder muscle tone or conditions that restrict urine flow, such as an enlarged prostate or bladder stones.
The difficulty with not emptying the bladder completely is that urine that remains in the bladder can become a good culture for bacterial growth. People who frequently leave residual urine in the bladder may be at much greater risk for urinary tract infections (UTIs). UTIs can create more residual urine, because emptying the bladder can be difficult, painful, or the urine stream can be partially blocked.
When people are unable to empty their bladder completely and leave residual urine, they may also feel the need to urinate more often. Any new urine that enters the bladder combines with urine already there to quickly fill the bladder. This can lead to poor nights sleep, many bathroom breaks, and even the uncomfortable feeling that your bladder is never completely empty.
When people have UTIs on a regular basis, doctors may want to evaluate the bladder to measure residual urine. This is easily accomplished by measuring the urine level through ultrasound, after a person has urinated. Unfortunately, an ultrasound may not always work, as visualizing the pelvic region is much easier when a person has a full bladder. People who are significantly overweight may not be able to be tested this way. In this case, computed axial tomography (CT) scans may be used instead.
It is important to pay attention to the frequency of UTIs as they can suggest other conditions. In men, particularly as they age, problems with residual urine can indicate an enlarged prostate and prostate cancer. In both women and men, poor muscle tone in the bladder can suggest bladder cancer, which is quite rare. In any case, when urinating, make sure you urinate as much as possible so that little urine is left in the bladder.
Doctors suggest waiting a while before stepping out of the bathroom and trying to urinate again if you’ve had problems with residual urine in the past. Often, waiting just a minute or two before trying again can help clear any residual urine. This is always good advice if you have frequent UTIs that aren’t caused by any known physiological problems. Emptying the bladder completely can help reduce its incidence.
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