What can I do if I get a sudden urge to urinate, but nothing comes out?

What can I do if I get a sudden urge to urinate, but nothing comes out?

Jennifer Anger, M.D, M.P.H. (Assistant Professor) gives expert video advice on: What can I do if I can't make it to the bathroom in time to urinate?; What can I do if I lose control of my bladder when I sneeze, cough or laugh?; What can I do if I lose control of my bladder when I lift weights? and more...

Some patients complain of a sudden urge to urinate and they get to the toilet and nothing comes out. That is a classic sign of a urinary tract infection, although some people do get symptoms of urgency. If a patient leaks on the way to the toilet, then we can safely say that's overactive bladder. Often people get urgency, but don't actually have urine in their bladder for a few reasons. One, it can be part of the overactive bladder symptom complex. They could also have what we call bladder hypersensitivity, where they just feel a little bit of urine in their bladder and they want to pee. Or they could simply have a urinary tract infection. I would recommend being seen by a physician to determine what is the cause of this.