How early does frequent urination start in pregnancy

You may start noticing pregnancy symptoms or be able to detect pregnancy 7-10 days post ovulation, but it's more likely you won't experience them until around 6 weeks gestation. Some of these changes in early pregnancy can include:

No period or lighter bleeding, feeling a change in temperature, or with your blood flow, noticing changes to your breast and nipples, feelings of bloating, cramps and backache or even nausea and morning sickness. 

In addition to these you might have milder, less obvious symptoms such as increased saliva or a general feeling of being dizzy. You may just feel more fatigued or have a mild headache or even just find you are passing wind more often than usual. These are all signs that you may be in the early days of pregnancy. Another key sign is frequent urination. 

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If you find yourself needing to use the loo more often, it could be a sign you're expecting. Image: iStock 

Why pregnancy makes us urinate more

This is mainly because the blood flow to the woman's kidneys increases by up to 35 to 60 per cent. The extra blood flow makes her kidneys produce up to 25 per cent more urine soon after conception. This increased urine production peaks by about 9 to 16 weeks of the pregnancy, then settles down.

Passing urine frequently can also be influenced by pressure on the woman's bladder from her growing uterus. Pressure on the bladder is the main reason why women pass urine frequently in the last 3 months of pregnancy, as the baby grows heavier, and moves further down into the woman's pelvis in the weeks just before the birth.

While frequent urination is a feature of both the first and third trimesters, it is the change in pregnancy hormone levels, along with increased body fluids, that will have you running to the toilet every ten minutes day and night!

There is no way around this - and it will gradually improve - so don't try restricting your fluids as it's important for you and the growing baby to stay properly hydrated. You should be drinking about six to eight glasses of fluids every day in order to maintain a healthy pregnancy. If you drink less than that on a regular basis, you can become dehydrated.

You can reduce your number of bathroom trips by avoiding beverages that have a mild diuretic effect, such as coffee, tea, soft drinks and alcohol (not that you're probably drinking anyway!).

You can make fewer nighttime visits to the bathroom by drinking plenty of fluids during the day but then cutting back in the hours before you go to bed.

Apart from pregnancy, frequent urination can be caused by other factors including urinary tract infections, diabetes or diuretic medications.

Going to the loo more often is one of the earliest signs of pregnancy. It typically starts at about 6 weeks and is often noticeable before a missed period.

What causes frequent urination in pregnancy?

Shortly after you become pregnant, hormonal changes cause blood to flow more quickly through your kidneys, filling your bladder more often. The pregnancy hormone hCG increases the blood flow to your pelvic area and to your kidneys, also becomes more efficient. As they get better at their job, your kidneys help your body gets rid of waste more quickly increasing the frequency of urination.

The uterus also starts to expand. It starts out the size of an orange and ends up the size of a medium watermelon in some women. It expands and presses on the bladder and even though the baby is only tiny at this stage, you’ll feel the need to go to the loo more often. It’s annoying, often tiring - particularly if it is happening during the night - but it’s normal and rarely anything to worry about.

You might also like to read:

• Drinking in pregnancy
• Drinks to avoid in pegnancy
• Cystitis
• Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)

Even in the first trimester, your uterus puts pressure on your bladder, giving it less room to store urine. Luckily this pressure eases as the pregnancy progresses, although you will find it return with a vengeance towards the end of your pregnancy especially when the baby descends head down and engaged in preparation for birth.

You may notice the need to pee increases during the night as your pregnancy progresses, partly because when you lie down some of the fluid you retained in your legs and feet during the day makes its way back into your bloodstream and eventually into your bladder.

What measures can help?

• Lean forward when you wee: Seriously, this helps empty out your bladder and can reduce the number of times you’ll be heading back to the bathroom.

• Keep drinking water: Never be tempted to cut back or cut back on fluids to stop the constant urination but you and your baby need a steady supply of fluids, especially water. Dehydration can cause a UTI, and they can very painful. Your urine should look pale yellow and be clear, not dark yellow or cloudy.

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