How your bladder actually works
Urodynamics is a comprehensive in-office bladder function test that measures pressures, voiding, and continence in real time — providing critical answers when other tests can’t. It takes about 30–45 minutes, and you can drive yourself home afterward.
Understanding urodynamics
Urodynamics is a comprehensive test that evaluates how your bladder actually functions during filling and emptying. A small catheter is inserted into the bladder to measure bladder pressures, and a small tube is placed into the rectum to measure abdominal pressures. As the bladder fills with water, your physician watches the data in real time on a computer screen while you perform maneuvers — coughing, straining, and voiding — to test for leaking, voiding pressures, and overall bladder function.
Arrive with a full bladder
Unlike most procedures, urodynamics requires one key piece of preparation: arrive with a full bladder ready to void. This allows your provider to evaluate normal bladder function and capacity right at the start of the test. Otherwise, no special preparation is needed — eat normally and take medications as usual.
See it before you do it
These educational videos walk through the urodynamics test step by step. Watching ahead of time helps many patients feel more prepared and at ease.
The essentials
Everything you need to know about your urodynamics appointment.
30–45 minutes
Total test time, varying by your bladder capacity
Full bladder
Arrive ready to void — this is the one key prep step
Drive yourself
No sedation — drive yourself to and from the appointment
Follow-up scheduled
A separate visit reviews results and builds your care plan
When urodynamics is recommended
Urodynamics provides definitive answers about bladder function when symptoms or treatment decisions require more than what other tests can show.
Female Urinary Incontinence
Identifies the specific type — stress, urge, mixed, overflow, or functional
Learn more →Overactive Bladder
Confirms detrusor overactivity and helps guide treatment decisions
Learn more →Male Incontinence
Distinguishes between obstructive and non-obstructive causes in men
Learn more →Pelvic Floor Dysfunction
Reveals how pelvic floor muscle issues affect bladder function
Learn more →BPH Evaluation
Measures the degree of obstruction caused by an enlarged prostate
Learn more →Neurogenic Bladder
Evaluates bladder dysfunction from neurological conditions like MS, Parkinson’s, or stroke
What to expect
From arrival to going home — here’s what your appointment will look like.
Arrive with full bladder
Ready to void at your scheduled appointment time.
Catheters placed
Small catheters placed in the bladder and rectum to measure pressures.
Bladder filled with water
Your physician watches the screen as the bladder fills slowly.
Active maneuvers
You’ll cough, strain, and void while pressures are recorded.
Go home
Once complete, you can drive yourself home and resume normal activities.
Normal aftereffects & when to call
What’s normal
When to reach out
A follow-up visit to review results
Following your urodynamics test, a separate appointment will be scheduled to discuss the results and create a personalized care plan with your provider. This is when we sit down together to interpret what the data revealed and map out the treatment approach that fits your specific situation.
Schedule your urodynamics study.
If your provider has recommended urodynamics, or you have ongoing bladder symptoms that need definitive evaluation, schedule an appointment with our urology team. We’ll explain everything in advance and make the process as comfortable as possible.