I’m a Urologist – This is the Question I Always Ask My Patients and the Warning Signs That Something is Wrong with Your Bladder

A top urologist shared the one question he asks all patients – and revealed how often you should urinate every day.

Dr. Yaniv Larish of New York said he always asks the people in his office, “Is your bladder nice to you?”

He said the question sometimes confuses his patients, but is a good indicator of some of the things that can affect their bathroom habits.

“It’s meant to be an open question, right? This is your time to tell me about your bladder. So, is it fun or not fun?’ Dr. Yaniv said on HuffPost’s Am I doing it wrong? podcast.

He explained that the question can apply to several things, including how often a person urinates, what they feel while urinating, and what they see when they look in the toilet before flushing.

Dr. Yaniv revealed that there is no normal or ‘magic number’ for how often you should pee each day.

‘I don’t think the question is “how often do you pee?” It’s more ‘are you hydrated enough or over hydrated?’, and what’s the point where everything is normal?’ he said.

The doctor explained that a normal healthy person should not ‘push’ to urinate, but should feel ‘relaxed’.

‘You’ll know (everything is working correctly) if it comes out easily when it all comes out at once very quickly and then stops. “We don’t want to see any hesitation before it comes out,” he said.

“We don’t want to see long periods of standing where you’re just there… And at the end, we don’t want to be dribbling or having the urge to pee two seconds after we pee.”

Dr. Yaniv also said that what people see when they look at the toilet after they’ve finished can be a strong indicator of whether their bladder is healthy and functioning.

Dr. Yaniv revealed there is no normal or ‘magic number’ for how often you should pee each day (stock image)

Blood is a big red flag and should be examined. In young people it can be a sign of a kidney stone, while in older people it can indicate something ‘even worse’ or even cancer.

He also said to look for “mucus” or anything that looks like sand or gravel at the bottom of the toilet, as this is another possible symptom of kidney stone development.

Another unexpected sign that something may be wrong is if you pass gas every time you pee.

Dr. Yaniv explained that if you fart because you have to use your abdominal muscles to urinate or get the last third of urine out, there is something going on that needs to be evaluated.

His ‘golden rule’ is that people should ‘think about nothing’ when they urinate and take into account any changes in their bladder functions.

For example, if you normally never wake up in the middle of the night to urinate, but you suddenly have to go to the toilet several times late at night, there is something abnormal going on and you should see a doctor.