Feeling of needing to pee but nothing comes out

Dr. Blaivas explains that rushing to the bathroom and having a hard time going is the common problem of an overactive bladder, which is linked to the symptom of urgency. Reasons for this may include having a hypersensitive bladder, or an involuntary contraction bladder.

Jerry Blaivas, MD: If you have to rush to the bathroom and you have a hard time going, first all of all it is a very common problem. The rushing to the bathroom part is caused by the symptom urgency and urgency is part of a symptom complex that we call overactive bladder. So if you have to rush to the bathroom, there are only two possible genetic causes.

One is that you get the feeling like you have to go without there being any underlying reason, that is a hypersensitive bladder, and the second is because the bladder actually starts to contract by itself, we call that involuntary bladder contraction.

So if you have the problem, that you have a hypersensitive bladder, there are lots of different causes of that. Probably the most common in everyday life is just irritants that you drink. The most common culprit is coffee. There are other causes like urinary tract infection, even a blockage by a prostate or by a dropped bladder can cause the same problem.

But why once you get there, if you have such a bad urge, you rush to the bathroom, why cannot you go once you get there? Well, there are a few causes of that. Probably the most common cause is simply that there is not enough in your bladder to allow you to go easily. Ordinarily, in order to urinate easily or normally, the bladder has to have a certain degree of fullness to it.

If you get an abnormal sensation before the bladder is very full, even though you feel like you have to go, when you get there, there is little in your bladder and you cannot go very easily. Probably the most common cause of that is just simply urinary tract infection, but again prostate problems in men causing a blockage can do with a dropped bladder in women can cause exactly the same problem.

Another cause of not being able to go is if the bladder itself is weak and there is lots of causes for a weak bladder, the most common though are blockages that have not been treated and then finally this is redundant because I dealt with it in answering the question already, but another reason why you might not be able to go is because of the blockage and once again the blockage in men is most likely due to prostate problem, and in women it is most likely due to a dropped bladder and commonly after surgery to correct urinary incontinence.

Fortunately, no matter what the problem, we generally have an effective treatment so, just because you have the symptoms, you should not get discouraged. See a doctor. With the proper diagnosis, there is generally an effective treatment.

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• Feeling as if you need to pee right after you pee is a symptom of a urinary tract infection.
• It could also happen if you consume bladder irritants like alcohol, coffee, or chocolate.
• Frequent urination can also be a symptom of conditions like interstitial cystitis or pelvic issues. 

Do you feel as if you constantly have to go to the bathroom or find yourself needing to pee again right after you've just gone? If so, you may have, what physicians call, frequent urination.

It's normal to pee about six to eight times a day, but if you're peeing more than that — especially if you're experiencing other related symptoms like pain or a strong, urgent need to pee — this can be a sign of prostate, or other bladder issues.

Here are six common causes for that urgent need to pee right after you already went.

1. Drinking excessive fluids or irritants

It's expected that you will have to pee more frequently than normal, says Dr. Courtenay Moore, a urologist and clinical associate professor of urology at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, if:

• You are drinking excessive amounts of fluid (especially a lot at once).
• You're consuming substances that can irritate your bladder, which can make you feel as if you need to pee.
  

Common bladder irritants are:

• Acidic fruits or fruit juices
• Alcohol
• Carbonated drinks
• Chocolate
• Coffee
• Tea
• Tomato-based food or drinks
• Spicy foods

Treatment: The main course of action is to avoid or limit bladder irritants in your diet, says Moore. Experiment with cutting out specific foods or drinks and see if this makes a difference in your frequent urges to pee.

You can also try drinking smaller amounts of liquid throughout the whole day rather than drinking large amounts all at once. This doesn't mean you should dehydrate yourself — and in fact, dehydration can also irritate your bladder.

You still want to consume an adequate amount of fluid throughout the day, which can come from both food and drink. Men should aim for 125 ounces of fluid daily, and women should consume 91 ounces of fluid daily.

2. Urinary tract infection

If harmful bacteria enter the urinary tract, an infection can ensue. Urinary tract infections can cause inflammation in the bladder, which in turn causes the bladder to become overactive, says Dr. Ramesh Krishnan, a urologist at Memorial Hermann Medical Group.

Aside from frequent urination, other UTI symptoms include:

• Pain or pressure in the abdomen or pelvis
• Painful urination
• Pee that's bloody, cloudy, or smelly
• Urgent need to urinate

Treatment: A doctor can test a urine sample to see if you have a UTI. Since bacteria cause UTIs, Krishnan says the treatment is antibiotics. It's important to treat UTIs and finish the course of antibiotics as prescribed so the infection doesn't progress further to the kidneys, which can cause permanent kidney damage in severe cases.

3. Overactive bladder

People with an overactive bladder, also known as OAB, experience frequent and acute urges to urinate. This happens because:

• The bladder is more sensitive, which can create the sensation that you need to pee even if you only have a tiny bit of urine in your bladder, Moore says.
• You may experience abnormal involuntary contractions of the bladder, which can also cause the feeling that you need to pee.

Other OAB symptoms include:

• Intense sudden urge to urinate followed by uncontrolled leakage (known as urgency incontinence).
• Peeing eight or more times in a 24-hour period.
• Waking up two or more times in the middle of the night to pee.

OAB is broad, and there are many possible underlying causes, such as:

• Bladder obstructions
• Cognitive-function decline
• Consuming too many bladder irritants like caffeine or alcohol
• Diabetes
• Hormonal changes
• Medication side effects
• Neurological disorders

Treatment: Determining an underlying cause and treating it can help reduce symptoms. Additionally, Moore says some treatment approaches for OAB include:

• Dietary modification to avoid bladder irritants
• Pelvic physical therapy
• Bladder training (practicing holding in your pee for longer)
• Oral medications
• Botox injections into the bladder
• Nerve stimulation

4. Interstitial cystitis

Interstitial cystitis, sometimes referred to as painful-bladder syndrome, is a chronic condition that results in pain in the pelvic region and frequent urination.

Moore says people with IC tend to go to the bathroom a lot since peeing can temporarily relieve the bladder pain they're experiencing, and pain is worse when the bladder is full.

As a result, people with IC tend to pee just a little bit, frequently throughout the day.

The pain can range from mild to severe. In severe cases, Moore says you may even go to the bathroom about 50 times a day. The condition is much more common in women than men.

Treatment: There isn't a specific test for IC, so testing will involve ruling out infections and cancer. If IC is the suspected diagnosis, treatment options are very similar to OAB treatment, including:

• Dietary modification to avoid bladder irritants
• Pelvic physical therapy
• Bladder training (practicing holding in your pee for longer)
• Oral medications
• Botox injections into the bladder
• Nerve stimulation

In more severe cases, Moore says, a surgical procedure called cystoscopy with hydrodistension can help stretch the bladder so you can comfortably hold more urine.

5. Pelvic-floor issues

The pelvic floor refers to the group of muscles that support your pelvic organs. Some issues with the pelvic floor can result in frequent urination.

For example, pelvic-floor dysfunction may cause your pelvic-floor muscles to spasm, which results in feeling as if you need to pee a lot, Moore says. Other symptoms of pelvic-floor dysfunction include:

• Urine leakage
• Straining when you pee (feeling as if you need to push it out)
• Painful urination
• Stool leakage
• Constipation
• Pelvic pain

Pelvic-floor dysfunction can occur in both women and men. But pelvic-organ prolapse, another pelvic issue, occurs only in women.

The symptoms of pelvic-organ prolapse include:

• A sensation of pressure or fullness in the vagina
• A bulge in the vagina
• Difficulty starting your stream of urine
• Feeling as if you can't fully empty your bladder
• Leaking urine

Treatment: The main treatment for pelvic-floor issues is pelvic-floor physical therapy, which will help you learn how to retrain and relax your pelvic-floor muscles.

In the case of pelvic-organ prolapse, on top of physical therapy, using a device called a pessary that's inserted into the vagina, which can help support and stabilize the organs. In more severe cases, you may need surgery.

6. Prostate issues

In men, prostate issues, particularly an enlarged prostate, can cause frequent urges to pee, Krishnan says.

A common cause of this is benign prostatic hyperplasia, or benign prostate gland enlargement. Aside from frequent urination, other symptoms include:

• Urgent needs to pee
• Peeing in the middle of the night
• Trouble starting the flow of urine
• Trouble emptying the bladder
• Having a weak flow of pee
• Dribbling pee

BPH is more likely the cause, but it's possible a more serious problem, such as prostate cancer is causing your frequent urination. On top of frequent bathroom visits, some other prostate cancer symptoms include:

• Slow, weak urine stream
• Bloody urine or semen
• Erectile dysfunction

Treatment: If your enlarged prostate is benign, treatment typically involves medications or minimally invasive procedures, Krishnan says. In some severe cases, more-invasive surgeries may be necessary.

If cancer is the cause of your prostate trouble, common treatment options are surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy.

Insider's takeaway

Peeing more than six to eight times a day and feeling as if you need to pee even though you've recently peed are signs of frequent urination.

Since there are many possible reasons for frequent urination, it's best to see a doctor if you're experiencing symptoms so you can determine the cause and the right course of treatment.

Ashley Laderer is a freelance writer from New York who specializes in health and wellness. Follow her on Twitter @ashladerer

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