# Is 12 ounces the average size of the human bladder? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 6, 2009, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-12-ounces-the-average-size-of-the-human-bladder/488494 "2009-03-06T05:58:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Stan\_Shmenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Stan\_Shmenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Shmenge)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2009, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-12-ounces-the-average-size-of-the-human-bladder/488494/1 "2009-03-06T05:58:48Z")
As a beer drinker, I have noticed a 1:1 relationship between beers and trips to the bathroom after the first urination in a drinking session. So, is the common size for beverages linked to bladder capacity? ---
**Author:** ![Alex\_Dubinsky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dbc845/32.png) [@Alex\_Dubinsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alex_Dubinsky)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2009, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-12-ounces-the-average-size-of-the-human-bladder/488494/2 "2009-03-06T06:17:24Z")
Take your beer bottles with you, and see if the volume’s just right or not enough. Then put them back in the fridge. ---
**Author:** ![seodoa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@seodoa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seodoa)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2009, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-12-ounces-the-average-size-of-the-human-bladder/488494/3 "2009-03-06T06:44:36Z")
> [@Alex\_Dubinsky](#): > > Then put them back in the fridge. Serve it to your guests and tell them that it only really tastes good if you put a lime in it. As far as your question: [This](http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2001/DanielShaw.shtml) site suggests that the volume of the human bladder can range from 400-1000ml which is between 13ish and 33ish ounces. However, the urge to urinate occurs far before the bladder is entirely full. I think, in this case, the urge to urinate is more because of what you are drinking, not how much. I also find that when I drink beer (or tea) I have to urinate often. But I don’t urinate quite so often when I just drink water. ---
**Author:** ![Hirka\_T\_Bawa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/db5fbb/32.png) [@Hirka\_T\_Bawa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hirka_T_Bawa)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2009, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-12-ounces-the-average-size-of-the-human-bladder/488494/4 "2009-03-06T06:49:00Z")
I don’t know the average size of the bladder, but I do know why you pee a lot when you drink. Alcohol inhibits the secretion of ADH (Anti Diuretic Hormone) from your pituitary gland. This hormone is responsible for controlling how much water is reabsorbed by your kidneys. This means that when you drink, your kidneys do not reabsorb as much water as they would normally, which cause you to produce a lot more urine then you normally would have. ---
**Author:** ![Mudshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mudshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mudshark)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2009, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-12-ounces-the-average-size-of-the-human-bladder/488494/5 "2009-03-06T09:45:37Z")
I know I’ve urinated more than 12 ounces before. Some things make me urinate more often than others. ---
**Author:** ![Hokkaido\_Brit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/d26b3c/32.png) [@Hokkaido\_Brit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hokkaido_Brit)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2009, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-12-ounces-the-average-size-of-the-human-bladder/488494/6 "2009-03-06T09:49:47Z")
I’m dieting so weigh myself every morning. I idly wondered how much more I weigh before the first morning pee and it’s a fairly consistent 600g. That’s about 600ml (20 floz) for a woman of mid-height and age, if that’s any help! ---
**Author:** ![Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d9b06d/32.png) [@Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boozahol_Squid_P.I)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2009, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-12-ounces-the-average-size-of-the-human-bladder/488494/7 "2009-03-06T12:52:30Z")
I’ve been on long roadtrips alone,and not wanted to stop for a bathroom break. The contents of my bladder easily were more than a 20oz Gatorade bottle. ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2009, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-12-ounces-the-average-size-of-the-human-bladder/488494/8 "2009-03-06T13:23:55Z")
My urologist referred to certain foods and drinks as “bladder irritants”, and they make you urinate more frequently, not because the bladder is full, but because the bladder is irritated. The list included both coffee and tea (both regular and decaf), and beer, and I don’t remember what else. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2009, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-12-ounces-the-average-size-of-the-human-bladder/488494/9 "2009-03-06T15:05:26Z")
Women’s bladders, in the anatomy diagrams I’ve seen, seem disproportionately smaller than men’s-is that because of the room that the uterus takes up? ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2009, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-12-ounces-the-average-size-of-the-human-bladder/488494/10 "2009-03-06T15:32:40Z")
It may also be how the bladder is situated in amongst all the other organs in a woman. As it happens, about 2 years ago I found out that the carrying capacity of my bladder is 1000ml, or one liter. Definitely above average. I’m woman, for what it’s worth. Presumably, there would also be people on the opposite end of the spectrum. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2009, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-12-ounces-the-average-size-of-the-human-bladder/488494/11 "2009-03-06T16:43:54Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > Women’s bladders, in the anatomy diagrams I’ve seen, seem disproportionately smaller than men’s-is that because of the room that the uterus takes up? Is that why the line for the ladies’ room during intermission or halftime is always longer than the line for the men’s room? ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2009, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-12-ounces-the-average-size-of-the-human-bladder/488494/12 "2009-03-06T17:24:28Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Is that why the line for the ladies’ room during intermission or halftime is always longer than the line for the men’s room? Not really - there are no urinals in the ladies’ room. There are also usually not more stalls. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2009, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-12-ounces-the-average-size-of-the-human-bladder/488494/13 "2009-03-06T21:30:56Z")
In men, the question is complicated by the prostate. Often, the amount you can pee is not all the urine in the bladder. Before I got a laser procedure, I was retaining 250-350 ml when I thought I was empty (once, I even retained 500 ml.) After the procedure, I could pee 1000ml. Any more would have exceeded my urologist’s test beaker.