When it comes to frequent urination before your period, it's much more common than most women think.
Although it is a form of urinary incontinence, frequent urination before menstruation is perfectly normal for a few days. But if it doesn’t go away when your period ends it could signal something else.
We’ll discuss what causes frequent urination before a period, when it’s normal, when it’s not, and what can be done to relieve it.
Urinary Incontinence: What Is it?
Often linked to pelvic floor muscle dysfunction, urinary incontinence is described as the loss of bladder control. Incontinence can range from occasional embarrassing leaks when you sneeze, jump, or cough to sudden bursting urges that have you rushing to find the toilet.
For clarity, medical experts categorize urinary incontinence into several types such as overactive bladder (OAB), stress incontinence, urge incontinence, and overflow incontinence. When women notice frequent urination before their period, it is known as cyclical incontinence.
What is Cyclical Incontinence?
Cyclical incontinence is a type of incontinence that only occurs before menstruation. Even though they don’t drink more than usual, women with cyclical incontinence typically notice a frequent urge to pee in the days before their period. Cyclical incontinence can be challenging on top of other PMS symptoms, but it is perfectly normal and usually subsides within a few days.
What Causes Frequent Peeing Before Your Period?
Cyclical incontinence, or the frequent need to pee in the days leading up to menstruation, is believed to be linked to hormone fluctuations and changes in abdominal pressure.
The hormones estrogen and progesterone help regulate the menstrual cycle, keep the reproductive system healthy, and prepare the body for pregnancy and childbirth. When these two hormones fluctuate during the menstrual cycle, they are also believed to affect the bladder. Below, we explain how.
Progesterone and The Bladder
The primary function of progesterone is to prepare the female body for pregnancy by thickening the inner lining of the uterus for egg implantation. After ovulation, progesterone levels typically rise for around 5 days, signaling the body to retain more fluid for a healthy placenta.
When eggs are not fertilized, progesterone levels drop and the retained fluid is released. This happens in the days before menstruation and the release of excess fluid can increase a woman’s need to urinate.
Medical studies have also revealed that the detrusor muscle in the bladder, which effectively helps to push urine from the bladder and through the urethra, becomes more active after ovulation. Although research is ongoing, it is speculated that higher levels of progesterone before menstruation could increase the activity of the detrusor muscle in the bladder.
Estrogen and The Bladder
As the dominant female hormone, estrogen plays a vital role in women’s overall health and reproductive health. So when estrogen fluctuates, it can also have an effect on other parts of the body.
When an egg is not fertilized after ovulation, estrogen levels typically drop 4-5 days before menstruation. In addition to preparing the inner lining of the uterus to be discarded during your period, low estrogen levels also alter abdominal pressure and the strength of your pelvic floor muscles.
In the run-up to your period, for instance, low estrogen levels are known to tighten the pelvic floor muscles and surrounding ligaments. Because the pelvic floor muscles support the function of pelvic organs like the bladder, any change in their behavior can have an effect, like incontinence.
In addition, lowered estrogen levels before menstruation also alter the cervix so it is lower in the vagina and slightly open to allow the excretion of menstrual blood. The altered position of the cervix during this time can affect the urethra, making it more difficult to empty the bladder.
Abdominal Pressure & Frequently Needing to Use the Bathroom
When the female body is preparing to shed the inner lining of the uterus during menstruation, contractions occur within the uterus. These contractions, which women feel as menstrual cramps, can also pressure pelvic organs like the bladder. This extra pressure can increase the urge to urinate in premenstrual women.
Tips to Manage Frequent Urination Before Your Period
Stay Hydrated, But Monitor Fluid Intake
While it might seem counterintuitive, staying hydrated helps maintain bladder health and prevents irritation. However, you should avoid excessive consumption of diuretics like caffeine and alcohol, as they can increase the need to urinate.
Practice Bladder Training
Bladder training involves scheduling bathroom breaks at regular intervals and gradually extending the time between trips to the bathroom. This can help you gain better control over your bladder and reduce frequent urination during your period.
Reduce Salt and Caffeine Intake
High salt and caffeine intake can lead to water retention and bladder irritation, increasing the urge to urinate. Cutting back on salty foods and caffeinated beverages during your cycle can ease this symptom.
Do Pelvic Floor Exercises
Strengthening your pelvic floor muscles through exercises like Kegels can improve bladder control and reduce the urgency to urinate frequently. These exercises help maintain muscle tone and prevent leakage.
Use a Heating Pad
If bloating or pelvic discomfort is contributing to frequent urination, a heating pad applied to your lower abdomen can relax the muscles, reduce cramping, and ease the pressure on your bladder.
Talk to Your Healthcare Provider
If frequent urination persists or significantly disrupts your life, consult a healthcare provider. They can assess underlying conditions such as bladder infections or hormonal imbalances and recommend treatment.
What If Frequent Urination Before a Period Continues Afterward?
Although an increased urge to urinate before menstruation is normal, if it continues afterward, it could be a sign of a urinary tract infection (UTI). Typically caused by harmful bacteria entering the urethra and traveling up the urinary tract, UTIs affect upward of 60% of women.
Due to the proximity of the anus to the vagina, harmful bacteria that cause UTIs are most commonly spread to the urethra during sex or from wiping back to front after using the toilet. .
How UTIs are Connected to PMS and Menstruation
Although UTIs are caused by harmful bacteria entering the urethra, certain factors before menstruation can increase the risk of UTIs.
When estrogen levels drop before menstruation, for instance, the vaginal tissues become thinner and the muscles of the urethra can weaken. When the urethra muscles are weak, bacteria can more easily enter the urinary tract and cause infection.
Symptoms of PMS can also increase stress for some women, which is believed to contribute to the onset of UTIs in the days before menstruation. Another possible factor that can increase the risk of getting a UTI during menstruation is the use of menstrual products like sanitary pads and tampons.
If not changed regularly, pads and tampons can store harmful bacteria that can easily travel through the urethra and up the urinary tract to cause a UTI.
How to Know If You Have a UTI During Your Period?
Three symptoms that menstruation and UTIs have in common can make it difficult to understand if you have a UTI during your period. Pelvic pain, a frequent urge to pee, and blood in your urine are three common symptoms of a UTI.
Pelvic pain is also common during menstruation, and it can be challenging to spot blood in your urine during your menstrual flow. Added to that, a frequent urge to pee can be a regular symptom of PMS.
Therefore, healthcare providers would look for additional symptoms of a UTI to disregard or diagnose it. Other symptoms associated with UTIs include cloudy or bad-smelling urine and a burning or stinging sensation each time you pee.
How to Treat Urinary Tract Infections
Depending on the severity of your UTI, antibiotics might be required to treat it. The only way to know if you need an antibiotic for a UTI is to schedule a consultation with your healthcare provider. But even with antibiotic treatment, UTIs can return.
Because of this, a powerful natural remedy is also recommended, whether you have been prescribed antibiotics or not. Freeze-dried Aloe Vera Supplements with added D-mannose & Calcium help relieve the irritating symptoms of a UTI quicker and prevent recurring infections.
Aloe Vera capsules have been proven to effectively reduce up to 92% of bladder pain, urinary frequency, urgency, and urethral burning. D-mannose is a type of sugar found in cranberries that prevents bacteria from sticking to the urinary tract. And the alkalizing calcium helps to support a healthy pH balance in the vagina to avoid any recurring infections.
How to Prevent Urinary Infections
If you are prone to UTIs, taking Freeze-Dried Aloe Vera Supplements with D-mannose & Calcium on an ongoing basis is a good idea. Known to prevent harmful microbes from adhering to the urinary tract, this natural yet powerful blend of natural supplements has no adverse long-term effects and can significantly improve the quality of life for those suffering from recurring UTIs.
Drinking plenty of water daily will also ensure that any offending bacteria are flushed from the urinary tract.
Wiping from front to back after using the toilet will make sure harmful bacteria that reside around the anus are not transferred to the urethra. And changing your underwear daily prevents bacteria from building up and entering the urethra.
Urinating after sex can ensure that any offending bacteria that spread to the vagina are flushed out and washing the genitals afterward with warm water can clean away any remaining microbes.
Using condoms without lubricant can cause friction and irritation in the vagina which could encourage an infection, so it’s best to use lubricant. However, spermicides are believed to increase the risk of UTIs due to their ability to change the natural pH of the vagina, so these are best avoided if you are prone to UTIs.
Conclusion
Frequent peeing before a period, also known as cyclical incontinence, is common due to hormonal fluctuations and changing pressure in the abdomen. However, if the frequent urge to pee does not subside within a few days of your period arriving, you could have a urinary tract infection (UTI) that requires treatment.
Should you notice additional symptoms like a bad odor from your urine or a burning sensation when peeing, contact your healthcare provider for analysis and treatment options.
References
Office on Women’s Health – Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) - https://www.womenshealth.gov/menstrual-cycle/premenstrual-syndrome
National Library of Medicine - The Normal Menstrual Cycle and the Control of Ovulation - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279054/
Centers for Disease Control & Prevention – Urinary Tract Infection - https://www.cdc.gov/antibiotic-use/uti.html