Will your bladder explode if you hold your urine?

When I go out and sometimes I can't find a toilet, will holding my urine cause my bladder to burst, or will it just flow out into my pants at a certain point?

The truth: This statement is inaccurate. Generally speaking, the bladder will not explode if you hold your urine, unless the lower abdomen is suddenly hit violently or injured by a sharp object while holding your urine, causing the bladder to rupture, but this is not directly caused by the urine in the bladder!

Analysis: Bladder capacity varies with age, gender and individual differences. Adults produce 1000ml~2000ml of urine per day and urinate 4 to 5 times a day. Male bladder capacity is usually larger than female bladder capacity, 350ml~750ml for males and 250ml~550ml for females.

Generally, when the amount of urine in the bladder is 200ml~300ml, people will begin to feel the urge to urinate and will have a feeling of holding back urine, but usually the bladder is not full at this time, so we can hold back the urge to urinate. As the amount of urine increases further, the bladder, as an elastic organ, stretches and thins the bladder wall to ensure that more urine can be stored without a significant increase in internal pressure.

But at the same time, the tension of the bladder wall increases, causing pain. In order to relieve the pain, the detrusor muscle tends to stimulate the urination reflex. However, due to the schedule, it is impossible to go to the toilet in time. The brain responds with a signal to inhibit urination, leaving the detrusor muscle in a dilemma. When the urine volume reaches 800ml, it reaches a dangerous warning value, and overflow incontinence may occur, that is, wetting the pants.

If you hold your urine for a long time, it may induce detrusor muscle weakness, which may lead to irreversible changes such as urinary incontinence and renal failure. Therefore, when traveling, try to reserve time to go to the toilet and urinate in time.

Author: Xu Yongzhi, Chief Physician of Urology Department, Ruijin Hospital Luwan Branch, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine

Review丨Xiao Yongshuang, deputy chief physician of urology department, Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University