Many people visit our clinic with a common question: why do I pee when I cough or sneeze, or laugh? Urine leakage while coughing or sneezing is a medical problem called stress urinary incontinence (SUI)
A person may experience SUI when the urines come out of the bladder due to elevated abdominal pressure. When the pressure increases too much that it becomes impossible for your body to hold the urine inside the bladder, leakage may occur. Jumping, bending, and lifting are some other activities that can pressurize the bladder.
Why do I pee when I cough? Causes
There are several causes of stress incontinence. The leading cause of urine leakage in men may occur after prostate gland removal surgery. Women may develop stress incontinence after pregnancy and childbirth. Obesity can also make a person prone to leakage.
Here are some other risk factors for SUI:
- chronic constipation
- pelvic surgery
- fizzy drinks
- smoking
- medical disease
- persistent pelvic pain
- pain in the lower back
Treating abnormal urine leakage
Lifestyle changes
Most health professionals emphasize making changes to lifestyle to help manage stress incontinence. These may include:
- Quitting smoking
- Minimizing caffeine intake
- Consuming fluids carefully
- Losing bodyweight
Exercises
Kegel exercises or pelvic floor therapy can help strengthen the pelvic muscles. You can either do these exercises at home or take help from a physiotherapist.
For a Kegel exercise, engage and hold the muscles that stop you from taking a leak. Repeat this exercise as much as you can.
Behavioral modification therapy
A helpful technique to control abnormal peeing is bladder training. For this, you need to sit on the toilet and try to urinate at a particular time.
This will train your body only to urinate when using the toilet. But note that this method works better for individuals who have mixed incontinence than people who only have stress incontinence.
Devices
If you are a woman and other methods aren’t effective in managing your stress incontinence, wearing a device may help with the condition. A vaginal pessary is a ring-shaped device that stops the bladder from leaking under stress.
Surgery
For severe cases, surgery may be recommended to manage SUI. If you pee when you cough, surgery will help urinary muscles close properly.
Prevention
Making changes to your lifestyle is essential to preventing SUI, such as:
● going for lower impact exercises rather than high impact
● strengthening the core muscles
● quitting smoking
● eating foods rich in fiber
● cutting down caffeine intake
● maintaining a healthy body weight
Lifestyle changes and exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor have proved beneficial for many people who complained about peeing while coughing. If the condition is severe, surgery may be required to treat the issue.
See a health professional.
Many people suffer from peeing while coughing or sneezing but are afraid to see their doctor because they are shy. But if you’re suffering from this condition, don’t be embarrassed to see your primary care physician in Tomball to discuss options for managing this condition. Schedule an appointment today with Family Diagnostic Clinic by calling 281-351-6800.