Frequent urination, or urinary frequency (sometimes called pollakiuria), is the need to
urinate more often than usual.
Diuretics are medications that increase urinary frequency.
Nocturia is the need of frequent urination at night.[1] The most common cause of this condition for women and children is a
urinary tract infection. The most common cause of urinary frequency in older men is an
enlarged prostate.[2]
Frequent urination is strongly associated with frequent incidents of
urinary urgency, which is the sudden need to urinate. It is often, though not necessarily, associated with
urinary incontinence and
polyuria (large total volume of urine). However, in other cases, urinary frequency involves only normal volumes of urine overall.[3][citation needed]
Definition
The normal number of times varies according to the age of the person. Among young children, urinating 8 to 14 times each day is typical. This decreases to 6–12 times per day for older children, and to 4–6 times per day among teenagers.[4]
Causes
The most common causes of frequent urination are:[citation needed]
^Gary Robert Fleisher, Stephen Ludwig, Fred M. Henretig. (2006) Textbook of Pediatric Emergency Medicine. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
ISBN9780781750745. p. 663
^"What is Interstitial Cystitis (IC)?". www.cdc.gov. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. February 9, 2016. Retrieved 2017-12-19. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the
public domain.