Frequent urination


Frequent urination is the need to urinate more often than usual. Diuretics are medications that will increase urinary frequency. Nocturia is the need of frequent urination at night. The most common cause of urinary frequency for women and children is a urinary tract infection. The most common cause of urinary frequency in older men is an enlarged prostate.
Frequent urination is strongly associated with frequent incidents of urinary urgency, which is the sudden need to urinate. It is often, though not necessarily, associated with urinary incontinence and polyuria. However, in other cases, urinary frequency involves only normal volumes of urine overall.

Definition

The normal number of times varies according to the age of the person. Among young children, urinating 8 to 14 times each day is typical. This decreases to 6 to 12 times per day for older children, and to four to six times per day among teenagers.

Causes

The most common causes of frequent urination are:
The less common causes of frequent urination are:
Diagnosis of the underlying cause requires a careful and thorough evaluation.

Treatment

Treatment depends on the underlying cause.