By Amy Vander Linden, PT

  • Do you pee every 40-60 minutes “just in case”?
  • Are you worried you might pee your pants if there isn’t a bathroom close by?
  • Do you wake up to pee more than once per night?
  • Do you have difficulty feeling like you can empty all the way?

    Here in the Valley of the Sun, many people use the excuse that they want to make sure and stay well hydrated. It’s true that the average adult should be drinking 80 to 100 ounces of water per day. That said, we should still only need to use the bathroom every 3 to 4 hours. You should have a nice steady stream of urine for at least 20 seconds. You should not have difficulty feeling like you empty all the way or feel like you need to sit back down again once you stand up.

Depending on which study you read, 19-70% of women experience stress incontinence during pregnancy and 35% struggle with it during post partum recovery. That’s when you have trouble holding urine while laughing, coughing, sneezing or jumping. This is so common, but isn’t normal and is rarely talked about, yet so many women continue suffering. It’s very treatable and usually without medications or procedures.

Did you know that your hormone levels can affect your pelvic floor muscles and therefore your bladder? Relaxin surges monthly, which can affect how our tissue supports the bladder and urethra which can definitely impact our peeing. Cortisol and estrogen can have a similar impact, making it even more likely that your pelvic floor could use a little help. You don’t have to be controlled by hormone levels when you know and can use your pelvic floor muscles.

Here are some tips:

  • Get a squatty potty. This helps position everything optimally for better emptying of your bladder.
  • Participate in full, deep belly breathing throughout the day to connect core and pelvic floor muscles.
  • When you feel that first urge, wait and see how long it is until you get a stronger urge. This can break that cycle of an over-active bladder.
  • You may actually need to do reverse kegels rather than kegels.

At Moment of Truth Physical Therapy, we want you to feel confident, capable and whole. We have many free resources on our website to help you including videos, free reports, breathing techniques, and more. Learn more at http://www.momentoftruthpt.com.