Why do you dribble after doing a wee?

Answer 1

There are a number of factors to consider when discussing the urinary tract, such as gender, age, whether you're sexually active or not, etc. I will answer this with "generally" for different age groups, both genders, and whether/not a person is sexually active.

Children up to age 12

All children might dribble urine after urinating in the toilet. Most often, this is because kids are in a hurry to get back up and go play. By the time kids enter puberty, they ate more aware of body odors and cleanliness. They take more time to fully empty the bladder, and more care with wiping.

Sexually Active Males or Females (Teenager up)

We all carry yeast on our skin. In the genital area, yeast can start growing (colonizing), especially if we don't bathe or shower daily and completely dry with a towel. Yeast likes warm, moist, dark areas-- so it likes to grow in the vagina where it creates a thick, cottage-cheese like discharge.

If a man has oral sex on a woman with a vaginal yeast infection, he can get oral yeast. It is called thrush and yeast makes the tongue white or with red irritated bumps on it. If a man who performed oral sex on any woman who has vaginal yeast infection kisses any woman, he can pass the oral thrush yeast into her mouth.

Also, if a man has sex with a woman who has a vaginal yeast infection, he can get more yeast on his penis and in the urethra. Yeast likes the urethra (male or female) because it, too, is warm, moist, and dark (hidden from light) and gets little air. So yeast can travel up the urethra and infect the bladder (same with bacteria).

A yeast or bacterial infection in the urethra or bladder can cause bladder spasms and dribbling after urination. Most people will also have burning when they urinate. The opening of the urethra can feel like it is involuntarily puckering (opening/closing). The man's penis shaft may also itch and burn because yeast and bacteria produce proteins that irritate the skin. Females will have reddened, itchy vulva and vagina.

Once you treat the infection, including any urinary infection, the bladder should calm down and you won't have dribbling.

Women who have had one or more children

Pregnancy can cause the ligaments that hold the bladder and uterus in place to be more lax. Labor and Delivery can cause the uterus to tilt or "fall", which presses more on the bladder. This can cause a feeling of having to urinate more often, or can cause dribbling of urine. Talk to your doctor.

Men over 40

Men over 40 can begin to have trouble with urination. Often this is from prostate hypertrophy where the prostate enlarges. This in turn can interfere with being able to urinate. As a result, men can dribble urine after using the bathroom. Again, talk to your doctor.