Dealing with urination problems caused by multiple sclerosis

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Dealing with urination problems caused by multiple sclerosis

A person with multiple sclerosis (MS) may have difficulty emptying the bladder completely because the muscle that helps to retain urine cannot relax (a form of spasticity).

Sometimes urination can be stimulated by pressing or tapping the bladder area or by straining. Medications can also help in some cases. When these methods or medications do not help, you may have to use a urinary catheter, a thin flexible tube that you can insert into the channel through which urine exits the body (urethra). This is called intermittent self-catheterization.

A little instruction and a few practice sessions with a nurse are all that are needed to learn to do intermittent self-catheterization. The procedure is usually done at the toilet.

• Women tend to be more comfortable at first with this technique than men because of their experience using tampons.
• After men overcome their psychological resistance, they tend to have an easier time than women because the urinary opening is easier to reach.
• The technique provides immediate relief of symptoms and helps prevent urinary tract infections and their complications.
• Some people with MS may only need to use the technique for a few weeks or months, because the bladder often recovers most of its normal function.

Urinary tract infections are common in people with MS. Your doctor should check your urine whenever you have a flare-up, fever, or change in bladder symptoms.

Credits

Last updated:	March 23, 2006
Author:	Shannon Erstad, MBA/MPH
Reviewed By:	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine, Barrie J. Hurwitz, MD - Neurology
Editors:	Kathleen M. Ariss, MS, Pat Truman