Urinary Hesitancy

Urinary hesitancy is a condition in which there is difficulty starting or maintaining a urine stream. Ideally you should be able to start your urine flow the moment you sit on the toilet or stand at the urinal, but for some people it can take increased time before the stream starts.

Urinary hesitancy can be attributed to a number of medical conditions, such as an enlarged prostate in males, or pelvic organ prolapse in females, so checking in with your doctor and getting a thorough work up is important. However, if there is no identifiable cause, then it may be connected to your pelvic floor. The pelvic floor muscles need to relax in order to open the urethra during urination, but if they have difficulty doing so, it can lead to prolonged time before the initiation of the urine stream.

A pelvic health physical therapist can work with you to learn how to relax your pelvic floor and figure what is primarily driving the dysfunction in the pelvic floor musculature.