Anyone else with retroverted uterus and urinary retention?

[Mandy013]

I know it's probably not the nicest way to kick off my new membership here, but I was wondering if any other ladies have been experiencing urinary retention?

I think it's getting better but it has been pretty bad. I'll be bursting for the loo then sit down to go and nothing comes out, not even a trickle. It's very, very painful. Normally it takes a while to wriggle about and rock backwards and forwards to get anything out but after a while, I can eventually get enough out to relieve the pressure.

I've read that it can resolve itself after 16 weeks when the uterus tilts up and out of the pelvis but I've also heard about 'incarcerated uterus' which scares the daylights out of me.

I was just wondering if anyone else was suffering with this?

 

[MindUtopia]

I have a retroverted uterus but it never caused any issues with going for a wee. It did make it hard to get a good view in those early scans, but my uterus popped up and was fine by 15 weeks or so. I have always tended to get UTIs easily though. I'm not sure there is any relation between the two, but is there any chance you could have an infection? I know when I do have an infection, I often get that having to go and then not being able to feeling.

 

[Mandy013]

Thanks!

Nope, it's definitely not a UTI.

My main worry is about incarcerated uterus as urinary retention is one of the signs. I have quite a lot of discomfort at the moment too, but I'm putting that down to round ligament pain.

 

[kellymassage]

I had the same exact thing in my last pregnancy and I am pretty sure I will get it in this one too. For me it started at about 14 weeks last pregnancy, and it was absolutely horrible. If my bladder got full I was not able to urinate at all and it was painful. I remember one night I woke up at 4 am to pee and my bladder was so full, and no matter how hard I tried I could not go we went to go the the ER but my bladder was so full I couldn't even take the car ride, I thought I was gonna die. I went home and laid on my side and laying on my side, I was able to urinate, so everytime my bladder would get full I would have to lay on my side in order to urinate. My uterus was also anteverted and it is now too. I went to the DR and he told me I could either do a bladder procedure where he would lift my bladder up with a sling or he could give me a straight cath and I would have to cath myself everytime my bladder filled up. He gave me a few days to think about it and by the time I decided to go for the cathetor, it all went away. I am so not looking forward to dealing with this again! As crazy as it sounds, try laying on your side if you can't go.

 

[Mandy013]

Thanks Hun

That's what I already do (lay on my side) but it's not always possible (if I'm out, etc). For me it's now been going on about a month.

 

[Mandy013]

I have been to A&E but they just laughed and said lots of women have trouble urinating when pregnant.

 

[Kirs_t]

Thanks for this thread! I had fertility treatment to conceive and had really badly urinary retention. I ended up with a catheter for a week and 2 nights in hospital... I'm really stressed as I can feel the retention starting up again as the pregnancy progresses. I'm really hoping it doesn't get to the point of having to go to ER. I had a giggle at your rocking and rolling on the loo comment- as I have to do that too! I'm interested to hear about others experiences with this

 

[Mandy013]

Kirs_T - I thought it was getting better but alas not, I ended up in hospital again yesterday as I spent so long on the loo straining on Sunday, that I was sure I had prolapsed (as I felt something coming out of my vagina that I had to push back in). The doctor assured me it wasn't a prolapse but couldn't tell me what it was.

He said he thinks the problem should resolve itself at around 16 weeks when the uterus tips up and out of the pelvis, but if it doesn't, then I need to go back in and in the meantime if it gets so bad that nothing works and I can't go at all, I need to get to my local doctor to be catheterised and get a home kit so I can do it myself should it happen again.

For me it's AT LEAST once a day that I can't go (and it has been like that for well over a month). I was in bits today - crying my eyes out with pain and frustration. I eventually had a bath and that worked - not very nice, I know, but I didn't care I was in so much pain.

It definitely feels as if it's getting worse, so I am resigned to the fact that at some point, I will have to use the catheter. At the moment it's so bad that I don't feel I can leave the house.

 

[kellymassage]

I am sorry you are going through this, I hope it clears up soon. Mine did clear up at 16 weeks last pregnancy so hopefully yours will too.

 

[Mandy013]

Thank you so much Kelly! I hope so too - only another week to go! Unfortunately for me, now lying on my side makes it worse but I've found lying on my stomach helps, although I find it difficult to sleep like that for very long as it hurts my neck. I'm still not showing so it doesn't hurt my belly to sleep on it.

 

[kellymassage]

Ohh man sorry to hear this. Mine is starting to get worse too. Last night I had to stand up in the shower! Eek, this really stinks doesn't it!! Don't worry! I bet yours will be cleared up in the next few days!

 

[Mandy013]

Sorry to hear yours is getting worse. A week on and mine is still just as bad - the shower trick didn't work for me today so I ended up in the bath (which is even worse) but at least that eventually meant I could go, after a full hour of trying.

I have my 16 week midwife appointment tomorrow and I'm going to rant and rave and cry until someone sorts it out - it's been 6 full weeks for me now and I only get about 4 hours completely interrupted sleep a night (at about 20-40 minutes a time). The rest of the time I'm sitting on the toilet trying to squeeze something out!

I've been to A&E twice with it, so they certainly know my history. I'm hoping I can get in urgently to see a urogynaecologist, as I am really starting to worry that it's an incarcerated uterus.

 

[marvita]

Hi. I know this is an old post but I'm sure more women are having this problem right now. Urinary retention is not a common thing but it happens, and since it's not that common, there are not much answers and help especially from OB-GYN and urologists. I've been through this for 2 weeks, since I was 11 weeks pregnant and I'm just now passing the page of this horrible nightmare, I'm 13 weeks now. It started at 2am on a Sunday, I woke up and went to pee and couldn't, after 30 minutes I had to go to the ER because it was very painful and they drained 700ml of urine. I have a retroverted uterus and went through this with my first baby but just in 2 occasions, but now was worst, specially because I'm pregnant with twins. Long story short, my urogyn prescribed urine caths for self catheterization, I had to self cath everyday and some days I had to self cath up to 3 times a day, I was almost all day going to the toilet afraid of not being able to pee. The doctor advised me it was best to self cath than to have a permanent cath because of the risk of UTI and the pain...After all the pain, the tears, depression and the only answer was to "wait" until the uterus moves up to the abdominal cavity, at around 16weeks, my hubby seeing me in pain and depressed, found on the internet some yoga poses/exercises that helps with urinary retention. He just looked on Google images the words urinary retention, retroverted uterus and prolapse (because I had one too, a bladder prolapse), and after just doing 2 of them I went to pee and it was like magic! the pee starting to come out as usual, as normal, as it should be! Sarvangasana was one of them. and another one with the head down, and the knees on a sofa, doing like a 90 degrees angle, The purpose is to move the uterus up and release the pressure on the bladder and they're safe for the baby, they're use to turn a breech baby. It worked for me and now I can pee normally. Thank God and my hubby for his support, since this started he said the solution would be to put me upside down, head down, and it was true! I hope this work for others

 

[arturia]

I have a retroverted uterus and found that for a time, around 8-12 weeks ish, I had some mild retention as well. I would try to urinate and if any came out at all, I'd only get to empty half my bladder before I had to push. I complained about it to my OB and he said if it got really bad, they could do something for it. Luckily as my uterus moved out of my pelvis, it eased. Fairly rapidly within a week, too, I was having no trouble peeing.

 

[ConfusedDad]

Hi,

I know this is an old thread, but my wife just had a terrible case of urinary retention. The initial diagnosis was a retroverted uterus, but we went back after a week of living with an indwelling, the scans don't show a retroverted uterus anymore, and she still could not pass urine. They sent us back for another week without any real diagnosis, just meds for constipation (which she's suffering through as well). Hopefully it will be fine after a week - but we are scared that there is not really any diagnosis by the doctors and the uterus is not retroverted anymore...anyone else had this problem? This is the 16th week

 

[ConfusedDad]

Wanted to briefly share my experience, so that it might help someone desperately looking for similar information, like I was a couple of weeks back. At 14 weeks, I developed serious urinary retention - I was fine from morning, but suddenly from afternoon I was unable to pass urine at all. There was swelling in the abdominal area followed by pain which quickly became unbearable. We rushed to the ER and a catheter was placed, which drained out ~ 1 litre of urine. The doctor performed a scan and concluded that I had retroverted uterus and have to wait out till the uterus moves up from the pelvis to the abdomen. I was asked to return after a week for a trial catheter removal. Unfortunately after a week I failed the trial and was put back on catheter for another week. This time magically I was able to pass urine again and after some basic tests etc I was allowed to return home. It was been 1 week since and I've had no problems whatsoever. Those were two traumatic weeks and the catheter was most uncomfortable. There were times when I was sure that I would never get better. However, that horrible phase did pass and it is important to not lose your patience stay in a positive frame of mind.