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Living with - Urinary catheter

You can live well with a urinary catheter and continue to do everyday things. But it may take some getting used to at first.

Your doctor or a specialist nurse will tell you how to look after your catheter.

Catheter equipment

Your hospital team will:

  • give you some catheter equipment when you leave hospital
  • show you how to use and look after your catheter
  • tell you where you can get more supplies

Catheter equipment is usually available on prescription from pharmacies.

The Drugs Payment Scheme can help towards the cost of approved medicines and supplies.

Preventing infections and other complications

A long-term urinary catheter increases your risk of developing urinary tract infections (UTIs). It can also lead to other problems, such as blockages.

To reduce these risks:

Do

  • wash the area where the catheter enters your body with mild soap and water at least twice a day and after you poo

  • wash your hands with warm water and soap before and after touching the equipment

  • drink enough fluids so that your pee stays pale

  • eat foods that are high in fibre to avoid constipation

  • avoid having kinks in the catheter

  • make sure any drainage bag is below the level of your bladder at all times

Intermittent urinary catheters

Intermittent catheters are usually used once and then thrown away.

Your doctor or nurse will tell you if you need to use a catheter:

  • at certain intervals during the day
  • only when you feel you need to pee

You can drain the pee into a toilet or container.

Using an intermittent urinary catheter

These are general steps to use an intermittent catheter yourself. But always follow the advice your hospital team gives you.

They can help you find the easiest position for you to insert a catheter.

For example, you can:

  • sit on a toilet, chair or the side of your bed
  • stand with 1 foot on the toilet seat

You may find it helpful to use a mirror the first few times you use a catheter. Most catheters have lubrication on them. This makes the catheter easier to insert.

To use an intermittent urinary catheter:

  1. Place the catheter package on a clean, dry surface.
  2. Wash the area around your urethra with soap and water or a wet wipe.
  3. Wash your hands with soap and water.
  4. Open the catheter package.
  5. Take the lubricated end of the catheter and gently insert it into your urethra.
  6. Hold the other end of the catheter over the toilet bowl or a container.
  7. Slowly push the catheter into your urethra until pee starts to flow out of the tube.
  8. Hold the catheter in place until the flow of pee stops.
  9. Slowly and gently pull out the catheter.

To throw away used catheters:

  1. Put the used catheter in a plastic bag and tie the bag.
  2. Place the bag in a second bag and tie the second bag.
  3. Put the bag in the household bin.
  4. Wash your hands with soap and water.

Looking after an indwelling or suprapubic catheter

An indwelling catheter is inserted through your urethra.

A suprapubic catheter (SPC) is inserted through a small hole under your belly button.

Both types of catheter stay in place and can have a:

  • drainage bag that you strap to the inside of your leg or attach to a stand
  • valve that you open over a toilet or container to drain your pee

Your doctor or nurse needs to replace the catheter at least every 3 months. They will tell you when they need to replace the catheter. Sometimes they may teach you or your carer how to do it.

If you use a drainage bag

To look after a catheter with a drainage bag:

  • keep the bag below the level of your bladder
  • wash your hands before and after you empty the bag
  • empty the bag when it is half to three-quarters full - if the bag gets too heavy it can pull on the catheter
  • wipe the valve with a tissue after you empty the bag
  • change the bag every 7 days

You can attach the bag to the leg that is most comfortable for you.

Changing a drainage bag

To change a drainage bag:

  1. Wash and dry your hands.
  2. Undo the straps of the bag or remove it from the bag holder.
  3. Wash and dry your hands and open the package of the new bag.
  4. Wash the area where the catheter connects to the bag with soap and water.
  5. Pinch the catheter above where it connects to the bag and disconnect the bag.
  6. Remove the cover from the tip of the new bag and immediately connect it to the catheter.
  7. Attach the new bag to your leg with straps or put it in your bag holder.
  8. Empty the pee from the old bag into the toilet.
  9. Rinse the old bag and put it in the bin.
  10. Wash and dry your hands.

If you use a catheter with a valve

To look after a catheter with a valve:

  • wash your hands before and after you drain your pee
  • wipe the valve with a tissue after you drain your pee
  • change the valve every 7 days

Using a night bag

At night, you need to attach a larger bag to the drainage bag on your leg or to the catheter valve.

Make sure the night bag is below the level of your bladder. You can put it on a stand next to your bed.

Night bags can be:

  • single use - you empty them and throw them in the bin in the morning
  • reusable - you empty them and wash them in the morning

Your everyday activities

You can continue to do most of your everyday activities if you have a urinary catheter. Your doctor or nurse will tell you when it's safe to go to work, exercise, swim, go on holidays and have sex.

If you have an intermittent catheter or a suprapubic catheter, you can have sex as before.

Indwelling catheters can be more problematic. But it’s still usually possible to have sex. For example, men can fold the catheter along the base of their penis and cover them both with a condom.

In some cases, a healthcare worker will show you how to remove and replace the catheter so you can have sex more easily.

Non-urgent advice: Contact your GP or nurse if:

  • you have severe or ongoing bladder spasms (similar to stomach cramps)
  • your catheter is blocked
  • pee leaks around the edges of your catheter
  • your pee has blood in it or bright red blood comes out of the catheter
  • you have symptoms of a UTI, such as lower tummy pain, a high temperature and chills
  • your indwelling or suprapubic catheter falls out and you do not know how to replace it

Emergency action required: Go your nearest emergency department if:

  • your indwelling or suprapublic catheter falls out and you cannot contact a GP or nurse

Page last reviewed: 15 September 2025
Next review due: 15 September 2028