Urinary retentionthe complete inability to urinatecan occur after surgery and may be chronic or acute.
The condition may be caused byanesthesia, post-surgery medication, or certain types of surgery.
Both types of retention can occur after surgery.
Illustration by Emily Roberts for Verywell Health
You should be able to urinate within about seven hours following surgery (although it may happen sooner).
At this point, anesthesia should no longer affect your ability to pee.
Symptoms of chronic retention include:
This jot down of retention is not always a medical emergency.
Few people experience urinary retention that lasts longer than four weeks after surgery.
In most cases, it resolves on its own in four to six weeks.
Muscles, nerves, and the spinal cord all work together for urination.
Sometimes, major surgery can temporarily impact one or more parts of the process.
In fact, having trouble peeing after an operation is fairly common.
This complication is typically detected before you leave the hospital.
Risk Factors
Post-operative urinary retention is common in certain groups or with procedures.
The incidence can be as high as 43% after tension-free transvaginal mesh sling placement.
Some underlying conditions that can lead to urinary retention include neurological disorders likeParkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.
If you have anenlarged prostate, for instance, surgery could make your symptoms worse.
Certain medicationslike antidepressants, antihistamines, anti-anxiety drugs, andanticholinergicmedicationscan affect your bladder function.
Treatment
During surgery, aurinary cathetermay be inserted to allow the bladder to fill and drain normally.
Not all people will have a catheter during surgery.
This will help you avoid the damage to your bladder and kidneys that an overly full bladder can cause.
This medication, called an alpha blocker, is often given to men to relax the prostate.
Other interventions can includeacupuncture, massage, and the use of warm compresses.
You should also look for signs of an infection.
Until you’re able to pee normally, certain interventions may help.
A catheter will drain your bladder to limit any damage from it being too full.
Medications may help, as can alternative treatments like acupuncture or warm compresses.
You should be emptying your bladder numerous times a day.
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