Doctor Explains Why Women Should Never Pee In The Shower
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Shower pee-ers, where are you? We know you walk among us.
If anything, it might be easier to ask who doesn’t pee in the shower, as a survey by Shape magazine found a whopping 80 per cent of us have made our shower water a little more golden.
But one doctor has said warned against a shower wee, saying it can actually be bad for you.
Watch the video below.
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Taking to TikTok, Dr Alicia Jeffrey Thomas (username @scrambledjam) explained the a few habits that may be very bad for our health – and peeing in the shower is one of them for us ladies.
It’s all to do the health of our pelvic floors, explains gynaecologist, Dr Stacey Picart.
“If your pelvic floor muscles are tight and prevent your bladder from completely emptying then this can make you prone to recurrent urinary tract infections.”
Dr Picart added that urinating in the shower can lead to your body becoming ‘trained’ to unhealthy practises.
“If you habitually urinate in the shower without really needing to, then you train your bladder to get used to emptying at much lower volumes and therefore lose the ability to hold higher volumes of urine,” she says. “You can also train your brain to recognise running water as a signal to empty your bladder which is problematic if you feel the urge to go every time you hear a running tap!”
Yikes, so not good then.
Sustained pressure on the pelvic floor can result in even bigger problems.
“Anything that puts too much pressure on the pelvic floor weakens the muscles. Conditions such as obesity, chronic cough secondary to smoking for example, straining due to constipation all increase intra-abdominal pressure which in turn increases pressure through the pelvic floor and weakens the muscle. Stress urinary incontinence (leakage of urine) occurs when intra-abdominal pressure exceeds the pressure of the urethral sphincter,” Dr Picart says.
“In addition to incontinence, a weak pelvic floor can lead to prolapse of the pelvic organs which can lead to pelvic pain and pressure symptoms and negatively impact sexual function.”
However, it’s relatively simple to keep your pelvic floor in good nick.
“The best way to urinate is to go when you have the urge, to sit or squat so that your pelvic floor is relaxed and don't try to stop the stream midway,” Dr Picart says. “Don’t ever go to the loo ‘just in case’ - exceptions would be before a long car journey for example where toilets are not easily accessible!
“You can strengthen the pelvic floor by maintaining a healthy weight, stopping smoking and avoiding constipation with good hydration and a diet with adequate fibre.
“Pelvic floor exercises are important but many women don't know how to do them correctly and doing them incorrectly can actually make things worse. Women's health physios are excellent at ensuring you get the most out of your pelvic floor exercises and I recommend seeing them, particularly postnatally.”