Leaking urine while coughing can be both surprising and distressing, negatively affecting your confidence and wellbeing. Peeing when coughing is a telltale sign of stress urinary incontinence, a kind of incontinence that is triggered when your body is under strain. Stress incontinence is the most common type of urinary incontinence. Thankfully, stress is manageable and there are several solutions and possible treatments. In this article we’re going to look at how to stop urine leakage when coughing so you can live comfortably and confidently.
Why Do I Leak Urine While Coughing?
Leaking urine when coughing is a sign of stress incontinence, which is an unintentional urine leak (incontinence) caused by pressure, or ‘stress’ on the bladder. One of the main causes of stress incontinence is coughing, but other forms of physical strain may also lead to this kind of urine leakage. Urine leakage while coughing is much more likely to occur when our are weakened. If you have a weak pelvic floor and you cough, pressure is created in the abdomen, which pushes down on the bladder and the pelvic floor muscles. As these muscles aren’t strong enough to hold in the urine, urine leakage occurs.
What Causes Stress Incontinence (Why Do I Pee When I Cough?)
Stress incontinence is usually the result of a weakening or damage to the muscles that prevent urination, such as the pelvic floor or urethral sphincter, combined with the pressure of an action (such as coughing) that causes stress to be put on those muscles:
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Urine is stored in the bladder. The muscles surrounding the bladder help to keep urine in by tightening the urethra.
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When urinating, the muscles surrounding the bladder contract and the urethra releases urine from the body.
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Coughing can cause a sudden physical pressure on the bladder. This pressure can cause the pelvic floor muscles to relax suddenly.
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A cough can cause the to relax momentarily, allowing urine to leak through the urethra and out of the body.
Other common actions that can cause stress incontinence:
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Sneezing
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Lifting heavy objects
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Jumping
Stress Incontinence during pregnancy and post pregnancy is a common condition for many mothers. The muscles surrounding the bladder can become weakened through the stress of pregnancy and childbirth. These weakened muscles mean that there is an increased chance of incontinence when coughing after pregnancy. Read through this article for more information on the causes of incontinence in women.
Women who have delivered a baby vaginally are twice as likely to develop stress incontinence compared to women who have delivered via caesarean. However there are steps you can take to regain control of your bladder, and support available to manage urine leaks such as TENA incontinence pads for women, which can help you manage urine leakage while you recover.
How to Stop Urine Leakage When Coughing
If you’re wondering how to stop urine leakage when coughing, then don’t worry. There are several ways of treating, managing, and preventing urinating when coughing and stress .
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Exercise: Exercise, especially Kegel exercises for women, yoga and pilates, can help strengthen the pelvic floor muscles and is the most common non-surgical method of treating stress incontinence. For more information on why it is important to strengthen the muscles in your abdomen, read through this article on the different ways you can train and strengthen your bladder to help keep stress incontinence at bay.
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Lifestyle Changes:
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Losing weight: If a person is overweight, losing some weight can help to reduce the excess pressure on the bladder.
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Changing drinking habits: Drinking too much or too little can make the problem worse. Drinking alcohol or caffeine, which are diuretics, can also make symptoms worse.
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Smoking: Cutting down on smoking can reduce pressure on the bladder from coughing.
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Surgery: If the pelvic floor muscles aren’t being strengthened enough through exercise, then surgery can be an option. Typically, the aim of surgery is still to tighten and support muscles below the bladder.
If you are considering surgery or any other lifestyle changes, make sure to discuss this with your doctor beforehand. This is to make sure you are following the best advice to find the optimum solution for your body’s individual needs.
Stress incontinence, is very common and can be managed effectively using both pelvic floor exercises and supportive incontinence products. Our range of absorbent pads and products can help provide reassurance and comfort, allowingyou to continue your normal day-to-day life. You can also get more tips and advice on living with urinary incontinence as an adult, or find the perfect product for you using our product selector tool.
Sources:
https://www.healthline.com/health/urinary-incontinence/peeing-while-coughing
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/urinary-incontinence/
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/319349
https://www.intimina.com/blog/leaks-when-i-cough/