A person with decreased urination produces less urine than usual, or has difficulty emptying the bladder. He or she may pass small amounts of urine, or pass urine less frequently than usual. Decreased urination is common in those with dehydration.

Males who have prostate gland enlargement have difficulty emptying the bladder. Severe difficulty emptying the bladder may result in urinary retention: the person is unable to empty the bladder completely and urine builds-up in the bladder. Urinary retention results in bladder swelling and pain.

Causes of decreased urination include:

• Anxiety
• Bladder injury
• Bladder stones
• Bladder surgery
• Dehydration
• Drug side effect
• General anesthesia
• Herpes genitalis
• Medication side effects
• Prostate cancer
• Prostate enlargement
• Prostatitis
• Spinal cord injury
• Urethral injury
• Urethral stricture