Your bladder should be able to hold up to three-quarters of a pint (about 430ml). Most people pass urine about four to seven times each day depending on how much they drink. Your bladder should tell you when it is full but give you enough time to find a toilet. Your bladder should empty completely every time you pass urine and you should not leak any urine. Most people can sleep six to eight hours without having to urinate. As we get older the amount of urine we produce overnight increases. Middle aged and older men often wake to urinate once in the early morning hours. Your lifestyle may also cause urinary symptoms, for example if you often drink large amounts of fluid or drink a lot of alcohol or caffeine.

If you are having problems with passing urine, it is still a good idea to get things checked out, even if it is just to put your mind at rest.

Problems with passing urine are common in older men but this does not mean men should have to put up with them. There are treatments for urinary symptoms and prostate problems and there may be ways for some men to manage them for themselves. If you have any of the symptoms above you should think about visiting your GP. You can also talk to a specialist nurse by calling our confidential Helpline.

If you are having symptoms your GP or practice nurse will ask you about them, how long you have had them and whether they are getting worse over time.
They may ask you to fill out a questionnaire about your symptoms to see how much bother they are causing in your daily life. There are a few tests that your GP may carry out to find out if you have a prostate problem.

• Urine test, to check for infection.
• Blood test, to check your kidneys are working properly.
• A blood test called the PSA test.
• Digital rectal examination (DRE).
• Urine flow test, to measure the speed of your flow.
• Ultrasound scan, to show whether your bladder is emptying properly

Some men worry about going to the GP because they do not want to have intimate examinations or think that the tests could be painful. It is natural to feel embarrassed, but any examinations should be over quickly and your GP or nurse is used to seeing the human body. You might prefer to see a male GP so you could ask for one when you make the appointment. None of the tests should be painful, although some men find the digital rectal examination (DRE) uncomfortable. Remember that your GP or nurse are not doing the tests unnecessarily. The test results will make sure that your GP or nurse can get the best idea about whether you have a problem that needs treating.