Diseases & Conditions
Why do I need to urinate right when I get home?
Ask the doctors
Q.
I always feel a sudden urge to go to the bathroom as soon as I arrive home. Is there a reason why this happens?
A. This could be due to a brain conditioning phenomenon called latchkey incontinence. People often have to wait until they arrive home to relieve themselves. The brain might get used to this pattern and start associating arrival home with the need to urinate, triggering the urge whether your bladder is full or not. A strategy such as bladder training, which is useful in changing urination patterns, might help.
Image: © andrewsafonov/Getty Images
About the Authors
Toni Golen, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Women's Health Watch; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing; Contributor
Hope Ricciotti, MD, Editor at Large, Harvard Women's Health Watch
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