Why Am I Peeing My Pants?
Urinary leakage is not only embarrassing, but it’s also frustrating and confusing. So, the question of why urinary leakage happens when we are in our prime, 20’s-50’s? Let’s break it down.
The pelvic floor is a group of muscles that sit at the base of the pelvis and have 5 functions. One of them is the gatekeeper who allows entry and exit. Now with leakage, we are looking at a miscommunication of that “gatekeeper” system. We need the muscle to kink off the urethra to keep urine in. This muscle group is part of a pressure management system that also involves our posture (often we’re rounded with posture), our rib cage angle (could be too narrow or still wide after pregnancy), how we use our diaphragms (often not because society told us not to stick out our bellies and we constantly grip and suck in), glute strength (we need a booty ladies!), and how we absorb shock through the foot. Yes, all of these systems matter! Which is why pelvic floor PT’s specifically treat the entire body. If we miss where your root cause is stemming from…. then the symptoms don’t fully resolve! It's more than kegels, which unfortunately get a bad rap. Kegels aren’t the enemy! Tightening something that is already tight is the problem, which leads me to my next point.
You can have leakage for being weak, which often is the presentation after a vaginal birth, and sometimes menopause. The pelvic floor is able to stretch 3 times its natural size to make space for the baby! WOW! With a first birth or a large baby, the tissue hasn’t ever been that taught, similar to the stretch on the abs. With that high stretch, there can be atrophy or weakening of the muscle fibers. So yes, strength is one reason for urinary leakage.
You can also have leakage from being TOO TIGHT. Yes, you read that correctly. Being too tight is not a good thing, ladies, just as loosey goosey is not the goal. The pelvic floor moves like a trampoline would. We need to be able to let go of these muscles and allow them to move DOWN before we pull up into a kegel.
Hormones play a role in the health of the vulva and vaginal tissue. Reduced estrogen has been linked to urinary urgency and stress incontinence, peeing with sneezing or laughing too hard. Vaginal estrogen is placed right on the vulva or inserted into the vaginal canal and helps bring more blood flow to the muscles.
Prolapse can lead to some leakage concerns, and the bladder and urethra’s positioning can be altered from chronic straining, heavy lifting, birth, or genetic factors in people with hypermobility.
Bladder triggers can include consuming alcohol, caffeine, carbonated drinks, citrus, spicy foods, and artificial sweeteners like chocolate. Now, not everyone has a trigger for all of these, but they are the most common that irritate the lining of the bladder. So if you drink coffee every morning and you have urgency right after… You may have a bladder trigger that causes frequency and urgency. There are three types of urinary leakage that you can read about in another blog I wrote: Learn the 3 Types of Urinary Leakage.
As you can see, there are many reasons why women suffer from urinary leakage, and it goes so much further than you need to perform kegels. If this resonated with you, head over to this blog to take a 10-question quiz to see if you have pelvic floor dysfunction.If you’re in Sarasota, FL, come in to be further evaluated and STOP peeing on yourself TODAY! You don’t have to suffer through this another day. You can also make a virtual appointment or look for a pelvic floor therapist near you!