Frequent Nighttime Urination
Copyright 2006 Harvard Health Publications
Question:
I am a 17-year-old male. I have to make frequent visits to the bathroom to urinate, usually at night. I feel like I have to urinate every five or 10 minutes, but when I go very little urine comes out. What could this be?
Answer:
It sounds like you need to see your doctor for a medical evaluation. While it's common for older men to need to urinate frequently, your symptoms are unusual for a man under age 50. Even older men should not feel as though they need to urinate every 5 to 10 minutes.
Common causes for frequent urination in young men include:
A prostate infection (prostatitis), Urinary Tract Infection, or sexually transmitted disease (urethritis);
A medical condition that causes increased amounts of urine, such as diabetes;
A side effect from a prescription or non-prescription medication.
Your health care provider can sort out your problem by asking you several questions, examining your genitals and prostate gland, and taking urine and blood tests. If a diagnosis isn't clear right away, you may need to see a urologist (urinary tract specialist) for further testing.
Have a question? Ask our incontinence community using our new Ask A Question tool. We regret that, due to the volume of queries, our experts cannot respond to all of them, but some will be selected and answered here; someone from the community also may know where to go for an answer.
Source: from the Harvard Health Publications Family Health Guide, Copyright © 2007 by President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved.
Used with permission of StayWell.
Use of this content is subject to specified Terms and Conditions and a Medical Disclaimer.
