Urine and Urination

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Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Specifics
• Genetics

See, Play and Learn

• Health Check Tools

Research

• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Find an Expert

For You

• Children
• Men
• Patient Handouts

Summary

Your kidneys make urine by filtering wastes and extra water from your blood. The waste is called urea. Your blood carries it to the kidneys. From the kidneys, urine travels down two thin tubes called ureters to the bladder. The bladder stores urine until you are ready to urinate. It swells into a round shape when it is full and gets smaller when empty. If your urinary system is healthy, your bladder can hold up to 16 ounces (2 cups) of urine comfortably for 2 to 5 hours.

You may have problems with urination if you have

• Kidney failure
• Urinary tract infections
• An enlarged prostate
• Bladder control problems like incontinence, overactive bladder, or interstitial cystitis
• A blockage that prevents you from emptying your bladder

Some conditions may also cause you to have blood or protein in your urine. If you have a urinary problem, see your health care provider. Urinalysis and other urine tests can help to diagnose the problem. Treatment depends on the cause.

NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Start Here

• Urinary Tract and How It Works (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish
• Urination Problems (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• Urine Color (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Urine Odor (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)

Diagnosis and Tests

• Collection of a 24-Hour Urine Specimen (Beyond the Basics) (UpToDate)
• Urine Culture (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
• Urine Cytology (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Urine Metanephrines (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
• Urodynamic Testing (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)

Treatments and Therapies

• Caring for Your Percutaneous Nephrostomy Tube (National Institutes of Health, Clinical Center) - PDF
• Urinalysis: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Urinary Diversion (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)

Specifics

• Fainting during Urination (Micturition Syncope): What Causes It? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Foamy Urine: What Does It Mean? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Frequent Urination (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Urinary Retention (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)

Genetics

• Genetics Home Reference: Ochoa syndrome (National Library of Medicine)

Health Check Tools

• Frequent Urination (DSHI Systems)
• Pain During Urination (DSHI Systems)
• Urine Color Change (DSHI Systems)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Dysuria (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Urination (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Urination Disorders (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Urine (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Clinicopathological features of diabetic and nondiabetic renal diseases in type...
• Article: Kidney stones may increase the risk of coronary heart disease...
• Article: What Is New in Evaluation of Asymptomatic Microscopic Hematuria in...
• Urine and Urination -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Children

• Urination Pain (Nemours Foundation)
• Urine Blockage in Newborns (National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse)
• Urine Test: Dipstick (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Men

• Urinary Dysfunction (Prostate Cancer Foundation)

Patient Handouts

• Clean catch urine sample (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Frequent or urgent urination (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• RBC urine test (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Urinalysis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Urinary catheters (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Urinary Retention (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
• Urinating more at night (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Urination - difficulty with flow (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Urination - painful (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Urine - bloody (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Urine 24-hour volume (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Urine odor (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish