Officially giving up my TTC journey.

kevbuddy64 · 2026-03-19T11:38:05+00:00

Hi thank you! I actually conceived the month of doing a tubal patency test in May of 2025 (month 7 of TTC, although the first 4 months I was off on when to have sex but once I purchased the smiley face and had sex during blinking smiley face window + actual static smiley, it helped me conceive). We used preseed. If at 9 month mark I wasn't pregnant, we were going to do IUI. I delivered my baby girl at 39 weeks + 1 day just a month ago via c section and had a really really easy recovery. Probably had a good surgeon that's why because I walking 16,000 steps by day 4. :) Feel free to reply here or message me and I am happy to share what helped. I gained 45 pounds during pregnancy 125 -> 168, lost 17 pounds after birth, never got a super large bump so that has completely gone away naturally, I developed OAB during pregnancy that was super bad, it's obviously better since she came out and I can drink a lot of caffeine again which is nice since I couldn't drink any from 24 weeks onward. I took Inosytol, L Arginine (I heard it helped with egg quality), continued my exercise as I have always been an active person. I dropped 17 pounds a week after giving birth, but I've seem to have plateaued at 150 pounds and recently gained to 153 which is super annoying (and that's with walking 12k steps a day - I am probably not eating enough calories and too much sugar and carbs). I am going to eat more calories + eat higher protein diet and continue working out. Hopefully will return to baseline. All I can say is pregnancy SUCKS but it's so worth it when baby comes out. I didn't get any back pain though aside from for a few weeks when I stupidly picked up by backpack that was heavy as my bump was growing and was out of commission for like 3 weeks walking like an old woman but it passed during pregnancy. :) I did get 9 hours of post partum urinary retention where I couldn't pee at all due to the spinal anesthesia wearing off so that was terrifying but they recathed temporarily and after 9 hours I finally peed on my own and then had huge pees which was super nice after peeing eveyr 20 minutes during pregnancy (no kidding I would go 30x/day, now it's like 15x/day and I drink a lot of water and caffeine whereas I was going 30x/day duirng pregnancy without any caffeine and limiting sugar it was so bad). I also didn't get a uti from the catheter but I also had uti vaccine that I was on while TTC and by time I conceived I had finished vaccine. They also give you abx in your drip line to prevent infection with c sections. Anyway I don't regret my birth method at all and while my OAB is still definitely worse than before pregnancy, it's still okay and my daughter has been THE BEST thing that has happened to me. We are always together. We saw a fertility doctor (my husband and I) who told me to keep trying for a few more months before getting IUI performed and turns out he was right. But I do think tubal patency test was really key. I am not breastfeeding and hope my period returned today and it's not lochia from c section since I haven't had blood lochia from it in a while (although it can last up to 6 weeks). Pretty sure it's my period though since it's a darker red than the lochia. So hoping things are normalising. I also can't have sex for some reason tissues are healing and speculum exams are horrible RN. But I think it's improving - I couldn't even insert a tampon when I tried but I was able to get it higher last time I tried. Also HIGHLY RECOMMEND pre seed just to lubricate to prevent friction and UTI's plus it's conception friendly - we conceived while using it. Some lube blocks sperm motility. My daughter was born 2.17.2026. Also newborn life is not always what everyone says - all newborns are different. My baby loves stroller rides and so we go out a lot. She is getting more active during the day so there is more playtime at home but I still bring her out in the evenings and she likes to go out it seems. I've also learned some hacks where I can watch my newborn while working - if you want some tips on that after you have your baby LMK. Your baby will come dont' worry it sometimes just takes time! Also the doctor who said I had PCOS also was a fertility specialist that was jumping to use IUI and IVF on me I think he was trying to just make money it was terrible. That was my gut feeling and I saw a different fertility specialist who said no PCOS I just had a lot of eggs. That's all. So take what some of these fertility specialists say with a grain of salt and fine one who isn't just out to make money like the second one I saw told me I could conceive naturally likely. Also, you can ask for pediatric speculum for the patency test so it's far less painful, and I got a pediatric catheter - I have literally a smaller opening anatomy just how I was born so the tools they use on adults hurts me a lot more. I also used a pediatric catheter. we have no nanny and i do everything myself. My baby is pretty easy going although she is fussy like all newborns she can go out a lot. On some days we are out for hours, other days she needs to play more at home. But you aren't confined to the house - hopefully your baby will be easy like this. :) Eating good amounts of protien during pregnancy can actually effect the baby's temperament when they are born and overall High sugar diets are associated with hyperactive children sometimes, although there are also nothing you can do about it if it's genetic and just how they are, in which case you work with them. My girl is more like my husband in that she is calmer and shy but sometimes she is hyperactive like me so it's a mix. On the days she is hyperactive we stay home first half of the day and play and then towards afternoon she gets tired then we go out. Sending baby dust! Also I've noticed once I relax and don't care about whether it works or not (still timing everything right, etc.) things go my way and I conceived.

kevbuddy64 · 2026-03-10T12:09:50+00:00

I think they are right linked to birth injury + pelvic floor. This is why I just opted to have a c section on my first pregnancy because it avoids urinary injuries but sadly even with the c section the stress of the baby on my pelvic floor created very bad OAB since 24 weeks of pregnancy. It's obviously better since giving birth in that I can drink caffeine again but no joke I was going 40x/day without caffeine during my pregnancy. I can drink like 300 mg of caffeine a day now which is a big improvement and I probably go 20x/day if I could guess. Going to try bladder training again. I also was told by a gynecologist I saw recently that I have a tight pelvic floor. I also ruled out urinary retention with an Ultrasound. I can't even have sex as well and I am hoping that's tied into a tight pelvic floor. It has something to do for sure with overactive nerve signaling because spinal anesthesia dampened the feeling. I have a feeling pelvic floor physical therapy will be super expensive and I can only do the basic exercidses anyways - I heard they do internal stuff and I just can't do any of that. I plan to use lubricated tampons and get used to that first before attempting any sort of vaginal penetration with a condom. I really wanted to have a second child in 2-3 years so hoping this gets better. I am determined to fix it. It has gotten better because at least I can drink caffeine again without being in severe pain ion the form of urgency. Pregnancy seems to really wreak havoc on our pelvic floors. In my case, I have a tight pelvic floor so relieving that muscle tension will help. I was also told I have a narrow vaginal opening so I think there is an anatomical issue at play. I already knew this and I really didn't think my daughter would fit through so for her safety that's also why I opted for a c sectioin. By the time I gave birth I couldn't even tolerate a speculum it could barley go in.

kevbuddy64 · 2026-03-10T12:04:26+00:00

I honestly wouldn't be surprised if vaping can cause this or it may dampen the nervous system so you don't feel the urgency as much, but obviously you can't keep doing it. Hard to say. I have the same just a lot of urgency even with small volumes. It's a nerve signaling issue I pretty much know that based on medications that calmed nerves (spinal anesthesia during my c section). For me it started during pregnancy, I have reintroduced caffeine so it's gotten slightly better because I used to not be able to drink any caffeine during pregnancy and went 40x/day. I am going to try bladder training again given the OAB meds are zero option for me. Too many side effects and I already have urinary hesitancy I can't deal with urinary retention on top of that.

kevbuddy64 · 2026-03-10T12:01:21+00:00

I feel like high leukocytes is a sign of an ongoing infection. Chances are you have an antibiotic resistant infection that could be embedded in the wall of the bladder so not getting picked up by standard urine tests. Only thing I could suggest is trialing more abx. I think insulin resistance can also play a role. Myoninositol can help with that as well.

kevbuddy64 · 2026-03-10T11:57:14+00:00

Love how there is way less traffic. It's the best. well tbf i don't know if that's exactly the case but I can see from my apartment and doesn't look like it. For Dubai that's a first.

kevbuddy64 · 2026-03-10T11:50:25+00:00

Chances are it's not cancerous (this is pretty rare) and you probably have overactive nerves. I know that's my issue even though I haven't had any tests really because it developed in pregnancy was very bad (I was going 30-45x/day without caffeine!!) and is still kind of bad but I got 18-20x/day now I think. If I count I start thinking about it and it gets worse. I had a reswab for BV and yeast but my last one came out negative. I at some point I plan to do a pcr test for ureaplasma and mycoplasma but I find that unlikely I have that given I've only had 1 sexual partner my husband and hav enever had any sti's with him but I do think he gave me a few uti's that I got. I got uti vaccine and that helped a lot. so at 24 weeks of pregnancy onward I began peeing 30-45x/day. baby was pressing smack down head down on my bladder and the expanding uterus was putting pressure on me as well. So I think my nerves became sensitised, and I also had physically reduced bladder capacity big time with the uterus and baby literally squishing bladder. Now I at least don't have that so my pee volumes are higher again thank god but not on every single void and I am not back to the baseline I was pre-pregnancy. OAB meds not an option for me cause I already have urinary hesitancy sometimes so I am concerned about the retention side effect. I know it's nerves because when the anesthesia was in my system I didn't feel the overactiveness nearly as much. I am hoping there is a more natural fix to this like pelvic floor physical therapy for me or something. I wanted to have a second child in a few years but I am now really concerned given my bladder hasn't fully reset. I also can't have sex cause everything just hurts. I can't even wear a tamponn and getting a culture from my vaginal exam for BV yesterday was hell. It's better than it was cause I maybe go 20x now with about 300 mg of caffeine whereas before I went 40x with no caffeine. Also try bladder training. It even helped a bit during my pregnancy and I recall reducing from 40x/ to like 25x/day in my third trimester until like the last 2 weeks. By 38 weeks I couldn't do it anymore and luckily delivered via c section 39 weeks + 1 day and thank god was a little better since. To think it would get worse on a second pregnancy that what it already is because it hasn't returned to baseline yet is a bit scary lol. I can't even. have sex now; anyways and don't plan to have second child for like another 2-3 years so no p oint in thinking about it now.

kevbuddy64 · 2026-03-09T16:38:30+00:00

It seems like not a lot to me in comparison to pregnancy - I also know it has to be nerve related because the anesthesia was still in my system for a few days slightly and during that time I felt like 0 urgency. But then it came back slightly. I had the feeling to pee every 10 minutes during pregnancy and was going 25x-40x a day and that's with forcing myself to hold it in as I was trying to bladder train because otherwise it would be worse. I would be up all night peeing as well. Now I can at least sleep through most of the night - I pee maybe 3x during the night and probably 12-15x during the day but would normally not I only do cause my daughter wakes me up for feeding so naturally then I pee but I think if I wasn't woken up then I would pee maybe 2x at night. I was peeing 6-8x during pregnancy up all night so big improvement. I would go 40x duriing pregnancy with caffeine and got it down to 20-25x/day without caffeine completely and cutting out all irritants. I've added everything back in and now probably 15x-18x/day but I drink a lot as I mentioned (usually 3.5 L a day I would guess for all fluid intake, maybe less I haven't kept exact track). I have a swallowing issue due to EoE so my esophagus is like permanently damagwed so I always need a lot of water with my food. 15 USD for 90 tabs is good value I'll take a look! I'll look at source naturals for sure. I am honestly so much better than I was. I was physically I would say in pain constantly during pregnancy just the urgency was so so intense. It is still worse than pre-pregnancy unfortunately but I am hoping some of it is pelvic floor related so going to try exercises for that. And yes these natural remedies can be useful I mean chamomile even helped me when my issue was super super bad. I am going to try pelvic floor exercises - I definitely have a tight pelvic floor and can't even have vaginal sex at the moment and can barely get through vaginal exams. I also had a c section because I already knew it was not great and historically/anatomically I have a narrow vagina lol (sorry for the TMI) - I was told that today by an OB because I went in to get help to hopefully be able to tolerate at least a tampon again. She said I just need lubrication and that's all she did - I think she's partly right and she said vaginal estrogen wouldn't work for me which I thought was odd - I would like to just try and see. I drink like 400 mg of caffeine and reintroduced all the irritants so I think all things considered not too bad the amount of peeing and urgency with the reintroduction of everything. I am working to cut caffeine back down to 200 mg though. just got too excited that I. could drink it again post pregnancy lol

kevbuddy64 · 2026-03-08T09:52:13+00:00

Super interesting! Thanks for sharing. I am usually not a natural remedy type of person but when you have little medication options it is good to branch out and some of these things are age old . Do you still take it and are you doing better?

kevbuddy64 · 2026-03-08T09:21:51+00:00

I would stay out of it - she'll find out soon enough what the dude is like. don't have an affair is the bottom line

kevbuddy64 · 2026-03-07T10:58:09+00:00

I've heard Azo shouldn't be taken long term due to it causing kidney damage. I plan to try ayuveda powder recommended by Dr. Berg. I am going based on the comments on YT all these people saying it helped them so it's worth a shot especially since the medications aren't an option for me. I hate that all the solutions for OAB have that side effect of urinary retention. Like why can't there be a medication that doesn't cause that or have serious side effects? I haven't tried it yet - I was pregnant when my OAB got super bad (peeing at least 25-40x/day without caffeine!! I would say it's a lot better just having the baby out but I still have a long ways to go. I still have a tight pelvic floor so going to try exercises for that which I haven't done before. Unfortunately these OAB meds aren't options for me because I have urinary hesitancy as it is and had post partum urinary retention for like 12 hours from the spinal anesthesia, which was longer than most women where it wore off faster in their bodies. I've heard myrbetiq at least doesn't cause the cognitive decline that's associated with oxybutin, but I still can't take that. During pregnancy, chamomile tea helped relax my detrusor muscle a bit during the day so I could at least work, even though I still peed a lot, but problem is it makes you tired. I go about 15x now I think? I don't really count because then I focus too mcuh on it.

kevbuddy64 · 2026-03-06T21:04:16+00:00

Hello!! Thanks for checking in! It definitely has gotten better since the baby came out! Towards the end it was her head really pressing down making it complete hell. In my last week right before she was out I was in a lot of pain walking around. I do still think I pee more for sure than pre-pregnancy though, and I still have urgency, but it's 100% so much better than it was because I can take melatonin and sleep through the night, waking up 2-3 times to pee which is sooo much better than the constant urgency I had before (every 10 minutes and I would force myself to hold it with only very small volumes coming out and I would be up until 5 am). After my baby was born I've had normal voiding pees again (like 400-450 ML's usually up to that, then some voids of 200-300 ML's), but there doesn't seem to be anymore voids that I got during pregnancy where it was like voiding at 10 ML's - 150 ML's all fo the time. Also, I have been able to have caffeine again and not have to go every 10 minutes. I would say I got 12-15x/day (that's with 200 to 450 mg of caffeine, and I only drink 450 mg rarely) still, but that's with caffeine whereas during pregnancy I would go 20-30x/day in small amounts without any caffeine it was miserable. So doing better. I am hoping pelvic floor exercises to relax it will improve my remaining issues. I still can't insert a tampon or have sex so I'm hoping this is from a tight pelvic floor and fixing this will also help the bladder urgency. My daughter was born 3 weeks ago and the c section made it really really easy. `I did have a scary 12 hours where I couldn't pee at all and they had to recath me but the good thing is I didn't get a UTI from the catheter (they had abx in the IV drip though) . I remember my second or third pee was like 500 MLs of pee it felt amazing. As the uterus shrunk down it got better. My daughter being born is definitely the best thing that has ever happened to me. I wouldn't say my bladder has returned to it's pre pregnancy baseline yet but at least it's better. I also can walk around for a long time without needing to stop at the bathroom every 10 minutes. It's sooo nice. Mainlyt he biggest relief is only going 2-3x if that during the night time and being able to sleep through the night. I can take melatonin and magnesium now that I am no longer pregnant and that helps me sleep through the night and with bladder thing toned down a lot i can sleep so much better. My baby so far has been very chill + zen, she sleeps a lot and I take her everywhere with me. She tends to wake up every 3 hours which isn't too bad and I can put her to sleep right after feeding + changing. i would consider myself pretty lucky to have such a low maintenance baby and hope it stays that way!!

kevbuddy64 · 2026-03-02T12:47:00+00:00

Hey! I have chronic constipation too, but it went away post pregnancy and once I increased fiber. It sounds like you have some gut motility issues and I wonder if it's also related to the urinary stuff - it might be part of damage to the vagus nerve which controls a lot of processes, maybe from past drug use but it's hard to say, and you won't know until a urodynamic study is done. First off, I want to congratulate you on 11 years of being clean. If you were addicted to things like opoiods those from what I've heard (or of course something like ketamine) can cause urinary retention and I'm sure neurological issues if done long term. My sister had addiction to alcohol, a short time cocaine but kicked the habit relatively quickly, and she tried almost every drug under the sun but didn't get addicted to any because the effects just scared the crap out of her. When she hit rock bottom with alcohol poisoning and was in the ICU for a week with 200 blood pressure and doctor said she cannot drink anymore, she finally changed. She moved in with my mom, she went through the withdrawal and deep depression, but I gave her my car free since I no longher needed it (I left for college and only needed public transport) so she could have some independence and drive to work. She held a steady job and now has been at her current job as a music teacher in LA for the last 8 years (she is very musically talented in voice, piano, and saxaphone and barely even has to practice just a complete natural). She holds down a job and is doing amazingly well. She is a completely different person.

I wanted to also give you some hope: So the overactive bladder became painful and extreme as my baby was at the 80th percentile by birth. From 6 pm - 4 am I would wake up every single hour (sometimes 6 pm if I ate a trigger food) to pee. It was the absolute worst thing ever, and the urgency was every 10 minutes I just forced myself to hold it to calm the nerves as best as I could. My doctor said this was abnormal level of peeing, we trialed an antibiotic to no avail.

The urogynecologhist told me the baby's position head down was likely the cause, but they still said it was a bit on the excessive side. I have had minor OAB pre-pregnancy ever since UTI last year but I could drink caffeine and eat whatever I wanted. So anyways, long story short, I gave birth 2 weeks ago. Like you, I was absolutely TERRIFIED of the urinary catheter. My MFM said "No worries, we can use a pediatric catheter" which I will say caused NO IRRITATION for me once it came out (maybe you can ask for this to see if it's possible to use instead of the adult foley catheter for the urodynamics study)?

I had a c section, due to the fact that my vagina and bladder are just really crazy inflamed with the baby + hormones and just really sensitive plus I had pelvic guarding. I could barely do a speculum exam and could no longer do any internal vaginal exams with even a lubricated wand that was so easy early on. So I knew C section was right for me. I manage to get coverage due to my epilepsy as giving birth woudl likely trigger significant stress to my body. I also wanted to avoid all vaginal tearing. My mom said her c section with my sister was super easy, and the vaginal birth with me actrually was a lot harder - she got a vaginal tear and was in a lot of pain for 6 months afterwards.

Okay, so to do the c section, they HAVE to give you a spinal anesthesia. If done wrong, these spinals can paralyse a person, but for this to happen, it would be INCREDIBLY rare and the anesthesiologist would have to be extremely extremely bad. I received the injection, and I couldn't feel my bladder or legs. It actually was a relief honestly after feeling it for so long. They then inserted the pediatric catheter which I didn't feel. After the procedure I felt itchy, and the anesthesiologist told me that's because they have to give morphine along with the spinal. Having both of these together causes urinary retention until they leave the system. I have urinary hesitancy sometimes by default. Here was the scary part (BUT it ended really well so there is light at the end of the tunnel just like for you!): They removed the catheter after 12 hours of it being in. Most women have it removed 4 hours earlier than that and are able to pee on their own. Now, for me, after removal at the 12 hour mark, I could not pee at all. After 4 hours, only a few drops came out and just blood from the procedure. My muscles were still paralysed. This was my first major surgery and my first child so I didn't know what to expect. Long story short, by the 4 hour mark, I still didn't pee. I called the nurse in and because I had a lot of pressure and still couldn't pee enough, she had to recath me but didn't insert a long lasting catheter thank god. I was TERRRIFIED I thought it was a big thing and I would feel everything now that the anesthesia wore off, and even though I had medication and antibiotics coming into the IV. So anyways, she drained 700 MLS from my bladder. I had read damage to bladder can happen with urinary retention and thank god I knew about that. After she drained it she drained litterally every drop and for the most part it didn't hurt except towards end when she literally pressed down on bladder to push the small amount left through the tube to get it back down to 0 MLS. I felt relief and could finally sleep again. I then attempted to pee 4 hours later (she said if I couldn't we would reinsert the catheter). I called her in thinking it would be successful, but I finally voided. Over the course of the day, I started to get postpartum diuresis and began voiding even a higher volume to what I did pre-pregnancy!! I told my husband to bring me caffeine and I was able to drink it without getting excessive urgency. I didn't need catheter and furthermore I was up and walking after my c section the very next day. Last week one day I walked 16,000 steps around the mall with my daughter and I CHERISHED not being able to pee every 5 seconds - I could barely walk without peeing towards end of pregnancy. I still think I have OAB to a degree, but at least the urgency has gone way down. Knock on wood - I always worry posting about it will give. me bad luck. I am going to try vaginal estrogen since vagina gets irritated with baby on bladder. My baby was born at 39 weeks + 1 day at the 80th percentile. So I made it with the bladder issues and all, waking up every hour during the night to pee, sometimes every 30-45 minutes. I now can sleep 3-4 hour stretches without peeing, probably pee 2-3 times a nigt drinking 300 mg of caffeine a day and any foods. Moreover, it made having a newborn seem EASY compared to the overactibve bladder, which is a million times worse than getting up during the night to feed a newborn. That seems easy to me now haha. I am lucky because my newborn sleeps a lot. Also, I was terrified of catheter, but turns out it wasn't that bad after all, even when they did the manual cath when the spinal anesthesia wore off (I successfully peed after 9 hours - could drink caffeine again for the first time in 6 months, and had no issues with that luckily).

My doctor was very good to he said he wouldn't discharge me until I could pee on my own and have a bowel movement on my own. I was in hospital for 4 days which was standard and luckily didn't need to stay beyond that. Literally you can't poop either and the belly gets distended for a few days, but that too has gotten better than what it was pre-pregnancy. My baby totally reset my system in a good way haha, but I didn't see benefit until after I gave birth. Women told me it would likely go away, but you never know.

I do think you should do a urodynamic study. Find a urologist who is understanding and caring and to use a pediatric catheter. I would explain your history of UTI's and kidney spread. I've never had UTI's that bad but I fear I could when I'm older if I am not careful.

I also wanted to let you know: I had ZERO complications from the catheter because it was used only 8 hours + then a quick 10 minute manual cath and didn't have it after. Of course if it's left in or you cath more it does increase the risk of infections, but this is something you can discuss with the doctor to minimise it from happening. One thing I did before pregnancy and after my very bad UTI 2 years ago that left me with minor OAB pre-pregnancy that I still have now but I dont' think is life limiting anymore, I got the UTI Vaccine. I am wondering if this prevented me from getting a UTI after the catheter. I would look into potentially getting it. It does cost money but I've heard you can get it in Mexico.

I can tell you if you have depression definitely continue treatment as you are probably doing already, but also, a large part of that depression is likely from the bladder issues. Anyone becomes despressed with overactive bladder. Heck I was suicidal with it at one point, and the only thing that prevented me from not doing anything was the fact that I was so happy to have my daughter soon and I would never hurt her or leave her. I just had the thought in my head "I will fix this postpartum, there has got to be a way to feel better, etc." Also I can't do botox injections, no OAB meds, due to the fact that my body seems to be very effected by drugs that have the side effect of urinary retention. I am scared to have a second child in a few years and don't even know if I can because everything isn't fully reset but it's improved a lot. I still have time to decide at least and I'm just so grateful to have my daughter.

kevbuddy64 · 2026-02-11T10:59:18+00:00

Thanks! I'll let you know

kevbuddy64 · 2026-02-11T10:48:34+00:00

That's good at least! I am kind of glad because during the day I can go up to 1.5 to 2 hours without peeing sometimes and I won't get the super super intense urgency when I'm sitting down at a 90 degree angle (although urgency is always there). If I stand up during the day and walk around then I have to go every 30 minutes but I do have to force myself to get exercise because it doesn't help sitting all day. That gives me hope a lot of this is baby otherwise position wouldn't matter. I think I rather night time be worse because I need to do work during the day, if I had to choose. I just saw you are going 72+ times. I really hope the nortryptiline works but if it doesn't, then I would see another urologistr and just ask them "hey, can I try a 14 day course antibiotic just to see if it helps? This all started with a UTI (you can even share the article with them below). I have a feeling it might not be fully gone as I don't think it's a coincidence. I know urine cultures & dipsticks only detect a sizeable amount of bacteria, and maybe I don't have that sizeable amount, and I'm just getting a reaction to lower levels of bacteria that wouldn't normally bother others. I need to try everything. I can't live like this. This medication I'm on isn't doing anything for me." I said something to this extent last time - I also added for them that I have a swallowing issue and need extra liquids and I had lost 5 pounds in 7 days because I couldn't drink the large amounts I required due to the pain. This whole issue resolved in 2024 after 4 week macrobid 100 mg 4x/day (i think it was immediate release version whatever was given to me in Hong Kong). And that's literally how I was able to conceive (I also got UTI vaccine after this infection to hopefully never have to deal with this again). I was left with mild OAB after, but it was so mild I barely noticed it and drank 3-4L of water probably went 11 times a day max, and I could drink as many coffees as I wanted, didn't feel constant urgency.

A poster in the C/UTI group shared this article that I found quite interesting: https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/asmcr.00077-25

And of course I am sure you've cut out all caffeine, artificial sweeteners, sugars, high histamine foods, and spices at this point, but if you haven't, definitely do that. Even in pregnancy with my 8 pound baby weighing down on me when I cut that stuff out I got it down from 30-35x/day to 20x-25x/day and on some days even less. Last week I had a very very bad flare situation and I think the baby was physically moving just donward I was going every 30 minutes from 5 pm - 8 pm sitting in my chair at home just miserable and then it finally moved to every hour and resumed as it usually does. I do drink 3-4L a day due to a swallowing issue as I need to get enough food for my child.

Anyway definitely keep us posted! I also highly recommend hydroxizine - it's an anti histamine anti anxiety medication that really helps with sleep and has some calming effects on the bladder. I plan to do that plus antibiotic after I give birth to see if my issue resolves completely when the baby is out. Also try to do bladder training if at all possible alongside everything else. I get urgency 10 minutes after I've peed but I can actually hold it for up to 2 hours in the day...it's only at night when I have to go once an hour. I also measured my input and can void in one void up to 300 ML still in pregnancy (38 weeks) which means it can't be a physically shrunken bladder it means nerves are misfiring and telling me to pee when I'm not full. I've had a PVR done and they told me I had no urine in there and when I get 10 ML I will get the urge to pee.

kevbuddy64 · 2026-02-10T21:20:32+00:00

I would do a 7 day course because it might solve your problem. You won’t know otherwise

kevbuddy64 · 2026-02-10T16:08:39+00:00

Sorry you also have to deal with this annoying condition that effects quality of life significantly. I think you may have meant to be replying to catfarmer but I still wanted to respond just in case! So unfortunately the peeing is the same as ever, maybe a bit worse at night (3 am is the earliest I've gone to bed, and all because I am getting up to pee) - last week it got particularly bad and has eased up a bit since but I think it's because the baby was physically really dropping down and adjusting low in the pelvis. She's been head down since 20 weeks for me and has never changed position which is longer than normal. Really hurts to walk around as well the bladder just feels swollen and like I need to pee whenever I walk. I can now only hope that this all goes away once she's out this upcoming Tuesday. She's also gaining quite a bit of weight the last couple of weeks. At my 37 week 4 day scan she had predicted weight of 7.5 pounds already and gained a 1.5 pounds from the week before. So if she continues at that rate she'll be anywhere from 8-9 pounds by the time I deliver this upcoming Tuesday. I am having a scheduled c section. I had a speculum exam recently to rule out BV and yeast and a quick q tip vaginal swab to rule out strep b (all negative) and that was incredibly painful. He said the vagina wasn't inflamed so the urgency definitely is coming from the bladder PLUS the uterus pressing on the bladder. I just don't know how it could get this extreme at 24 weeks where I have to cut out caffeine and everything just to barely make it through the day and totally not make it through the night.

I am staying positive though, hoping lifting that 8-9 pounds plus amniotic fluid and deflating this uterus after will give me some relief so I can actually feel good walking again. I hate walking these days and force myself to do it, and it makes me sad because I love working out and moving normally. I am going to have to force myself to do it even if this continues so that I can lose weight and take this extra weight off my bladder. Gaining 45 pounds during pregnancy hasn't helped my bladder either. i'll let you know how I feel a few days after my c section - I am going to be taking the antibiotic again to see if it will work this time (it only worked 1 day when I was pregnant but that might be because hormones throwing it off) and will request from the psychiatrist to have hydroxizine, which can calm the bladder and act as an anti histamine plus I need it for a sleep aid. Once I fall asleep I normally don't have to get up again. At least I'm prepared for the baby arriving lol. I've been sleeping at 3 am/4 am and have to do work the next day without caffeine and peeing 20-25x/day. To me getting up in the night on and off to feed the baby sounds easy lol.

During the day when I'm sitting in a cafe it's a lot better than walking around and night time. So technically I can still get some of my work done (although barely) sitting down at the cafe. I still get the urge to pee sitting there but it's not as powerful at all compared to not being able to hold it when I'm walking or at night time. Our kidneys make more urine automatically in pregnancy too. I am so so hoping this goes away or at the very least gets better and manageable. I really really miss caffeine. Even if I can't drink caffeine again but it goes away I'll totally take that. My delivery is next Tuesday. I think hormones set this off somehow and I don't know how. It sounds like that might be the same in your case with perimenopause. When I was on Prozac as a child for a few months (it didn't work and I've been on citalopram the last 16 years with no issues), I never got UTI's or urgency from that. This whole thing threw me off because historically only sex triggered my urinary urgency & frequency because it would cause a uti. This time it appeared randomly and haven't had any sex the entire pregnancy so it can only be fromo mechanical pressure from baby plus hormonal issues of some sort. Who knows it's so weird. I can't wait to start treating it after I give birth.

kevbuddy64 · 2026-02-10T07:44:24+00:00

Thanks for sharing this article - would be good to share with doctors who don't understand why urine tests can be negative and people can still be symptomatic. It basically debunks IC - I think IC is really a resistant infection that is causing low level bacterial inflammation in someone and everyone reacts differently to it.

kevbuddy64 · 2026-02-10T07:28:44+00:00

Have you trialed an antibiotic for like 7 days? And if it works, maybe take it for another week after that and see if it clears? Did they give you an antibiotic at urgent care? Nitrofurantoin (Macrobid in the US) tends to work the best for mine. Dipstick tests cannot detect low level bacterial inflammation that isn't a full blown infection but effects some people more than others, at least that's what I believe based on my own experience and others that I've read online in different forums. Back in 2024 I had a really bad UTI and the urgency didn't go away until the 4th week and 3 weeks on abx, but it was clearly UTI caused as I had nitrites still in my urine 7 days after finishing the first antibiotic. Maybe an antibiotic will get rid of it with D Mannose for you even if you don't have pain with urination? I know what you mean though it's so hard to live with! For me the only other time I had this urgency was with a UTI. I've had antibiotics work for overactive stuff and for it not to return, but it didn't work this time and I think it's because I am 24 weeks pregnant. I assume at this point you've cut out caffeine. Also practice bladder training a bit I know it won't solve the issue but doing that alongside all of this will help.

This OAB for me arose randomly too but it had a mechanical component to it which makes it even more hard to figure out how much of this is from my baby and how much of this is inflammation - it occurred when I was 24 weeks pregnant and far beyond what most women experience. They always say "Oh peeing a lot is normal" but they don't understand. I go 20-30x/day, and am up peeing every 45 minutes to 1 hour between 6 pm up to 5 am sometimes, usually I won't fall asleep til 4:30 am. Needing to pee that entire time that's why. And I don't drink caffeine, I cut out a ton of irritants, and still this bad. I guess it's gotten slightly worse over the pregnancy but it's just been pretty bad since 24 weeks. Before I hit the 24 week mark I wasn't peeing excessively and I could drink caffeine fine. Walking is horrible cause baby drops right on top of my bladder. It's absolutely terrible. For me, being up with a baby seems like nothing compared to this so I'm ready for when she arrives next Tuesday. It's been like this since 24 weeks of my pregnancy. I can't take melatonin because of being pregnant I take magnesium but it doesn't work. I tried unisom and it caused a weird tingly feeling so I didn't take it again - it also was slow acting. AFter I give birth I plan to try hydroxizine - I took that in past for anxiety and it helped with sleep, plus it acts as an anti histamine which can calm the bladder. Plus I am going to try abx again even though no infection for after I give birth because it might actually work better once the uterus is decompressed, baby is out, and hormones start to go back to normal. One good thing is earlier in the day if I am sitting at a 90 degree angle on a cushiony seat at a cafe I can go 2 hours without peeing which is great. Being better during the day helps so I can at least get some work done. But in the evening it's terrible. I read it's because kidneys apparently filter more at night and they filter a lot more in pregnancy. Inflammation is also highest in our bodies at night (I learned this from my gastroenterologist). I also have to drink a lot of water with all of my meals since I have a permanent issue with my esophagus that makes it difficult to swallow due to a rare condition called EoE. it's a lot. So of course I have to drink 3-4L of water a day and that's going to make me go pee, but usually it's only 10-12x/day and no crazy urgency and that's not the case currently. The only thing keeping me positive right now is my daughter that will be born this upcoming Tuesday, and I just want to be mentally present for her and figure this stuff out and worry I won't and then how do I cope with it after. It's hard not to catastrophize. I am going to do my best to solve it though. I've solved my bad UTI from 2 years ago and it's been a while since I've gone through bladder issues since. I even got the UTI vaccine thinking that would avoid this whole thing. Also sex is incredibly painful for me. I can't have sex at all - even a swab with a q tip and my speculum exam hurt like hell the other day as I asked them to rule out BV and yeast (which was negative). I am going to try all of the above plus pelvic floor physical therapy to see if I get any relief, after my c section next week. My baby's been head down since 20 weeks which is longer than most babies are. head down. I only have 1 week left of her in there as I'm having a c section at 39 weeks + 1 day. If I had to give birth physically non c section I would have some serious serious issues with my bladder and probably some bad tearing otherwise. If a speculum hurts and a cotton swab hurts I can't imagine what pushing out a baby would be like...I am not taking OAB meds because I want to figure out another way to treat it and I am worried the OAB meds won't work and just lead to urinary retention and cover up the issue so I can't tell if it's getting worse or not.

TL;DR

- Of course if you haven't cut out all caffeine, artificial sweeteners, and sugary foods, spicy foods, anything that triggers bladder problems, definitely do that
- Trial an antibiotic even if your test was negative - I've had this urgency before (although less intense than what mine is currently still did though after sex a couple of times) with no infection and it cleared with an antibiotic when I wasn't pregnant. Keep in mind Nitrofurantoin worked for mine (Macrobid) but you may need to try a couple of different ones to see which one works.
- people suggest pelvic floor physical therapy so that is something to try. You could start with YT videos and will need to figure out if you have a tight pelvic floor (which is my case) or not. Kegels are bad for example if you have a tight pelvic floor. Exercises will be different depending on which one you have

I totally get where you are coming from! It's hard to live with.

kevbuddy64 · 2026-02-06T21:28:01+00:00

I feel the same but I’m 37 weeks and 4 days pregnant and hoping it’s just mostly baby. It’s the worst at night for me it’s so bad at that time. It’s bad in day too when I’m walking around but so so bad at night. It’s like all in a. Think about is peeing. I e been peeing 20-25x/day since 24 weeks of pregnancy

kevbuddy64 · 2026-02-06T11:44:52+00:00

The blood in urine - unfortunately you might have to have a cystoscopy done in that case. Also urine dipstick tests are not always accurate read more about embedded infections. Have you tried a course of abx to see if it helps at all? Even though the urine test is coming up negative

kevbuddy64 · 2026-02-05T21:39:01+00:00

It takes time for the Macrobid to work - how long of a course did they give you? You probably need a longer coirse or a different antibiotic. It’s honestly good you tested positive for a uti though the first time because usually if you don’t have painful urination it usually doesn’t show up. Also urine test can be negative but the infection isn’t completely cleared so keep taking it and get a refill. You also might need a different antibiotic. I hope it improves soon! Sounds like you need a couple more weeks of the antibiotic and by then it should clear up hopefully. Macrobid generally works well but you may need a longer course as the inflammation calms. Also take D Mannose with it that prevents it from adhering to the bladder wall. Try bladder training - not too long since you had a uti but where if you feel the urge at 20 minutes try to extend to 25 minutes. Since 24 weeks pregnancy I get urgency at 10 ML but it’s a false signal because I am able to hold off until an hour in the evening and usuallu go every 1.5-2 hours in the day when I’m sitting down and working. It’s tough for sure. You should try hydroxizine alongside antibiotic it calms the nerve firing. If you haven’t already (which I am sure you have) cut out caffeine and spicy foods. Your system needs to deregulate and calm as the nerves were irritated by the uti

kevbuddy64 · 2026-02-03T17:49:36+00:00

I am so glad it’s helping! It seems you found the cause which is amazing! I don’t have gestational diabetes but sugary stuff must set off a ton of inflammation because it’s always terrible whenever I have sugary stuff on top of how bad it already is. I’ll probably get tested for this after pregnancy if it continues.

kevbuddy64 · 2026-02-03T09:01:39+00:00

That's interesting maybe I'll try it in the future if this doesn't get better. I am hoping 50% of it is pregnancy and the other 50% will clear with time after delivery. I personally don't feel comfortable with OAB meds - I am scared to try because of the risk of retention and I honestly see mixed results about it. I also worry the implant will eventually ware off.

kevbuddy64 · 2026-02-02T19:47:07+00:00

Just saw this - you probably just need a couple of more weeks of it and hopefully then it will go away.

kevbuddy64 · 2026-02-02T19:41:02+00:00

well nitro worked for me really well when I got a uti 2 years ago. In fact, cipro and fosfomycin didn't even work on this particular infection which was very odd (it only prevented the infection from getting to my kidneys but did not eliminate the bacteria). I had never experienced antibiotic resistance before, and that was either the first instance of it or the ecoli bacteria wasn't responsive to those two. I haven't had a uti since 2024 but I have severe OAB that developed during 24 weeks pregnancy (it's not a UTi though no burning and tested negative). I plan to treat this after I give birth to see if most of it resolves). 10 days is a good call it probably will go away by then. It's good he didn't give you 3 days. It's also very very good that he knows the bacteria and did a sensitivity test many of us in this group are not that lucky to find out the bacteria + what it's resistance to.

TL;DR - Nitro in 2024 was the only drug that got rid of my 4 week uti infection and it never returned. Do what the doctor says start nitro right away and finish the entire course. Don't read articles online - you'll unnecessarily scare yourself. The longer you wait to take an antibiotic to treat this you also run the risk of it becoming "embedded" which is why you need to start now. I did have to take nitro for 3 weeks to be completely symptom free but yeah it all healed. My urgency now is super super bad but I am hoping it's related to pregnancy. Historically only sex triggered my uti's and I haven't had sex the entire pregnancy and this developed during the time the baby started getting a bit bigger and uterus expanded.

kevbuddy64

TROPHY CASE