Difficulty Passing Urine in Men

If you are having difficulty passing your urine but are making a normal amount of urine over the course of the day, this probably means that you are frequently passing small amounts of urine. The most likely cause of frequent but difficult urination in a man is a problem with the prostate gland, such as

• enlargement of the prostate gland  (also called benign prostate hypertrophy, or BPH)

• sudden infection of the prostate gland (acute prostatitis), which is often accompanied by fever or pain

• slowly developing infection or inflammation of the prostate gland (chronic prostatitis).

All men with new difficulty passing their urine deserve medical evaluation, but certain symptoms can signal a more urgent problem, such as a serious urinary tract infection.

Have you had any of the following symptoms? 

• fever over 100.5F

• shaking chills

• severe pain in your flank, back or belly

• blood in the urine.

Yes, I am having one or more of these symptoms.

No, I am not having any of these symptoms.