By Marlena Allen
•
27 Mar, 2024
Do you ever find yourself wondering “why do I pee when I sneeze or cough?” Picture this: it’s a beautiful spring day, you are walking around the park, the flowers are blooming, the birds are singing, pollen is everywhere, you sneeze and out comes some pee. What a way to ruin your lovely stroll! Or maybe it's flu season, you caught the bug and you are laying in bed miserable. Not only are you coughing and sneezing, but now you are leaking too?! Ugh!! Don’t worry - if either of these scenarios sound like you, rest assured you are not the only one having this issue. And we are here to explain why you pee when you sneeze or cough. When someone leaks pee during a cough or a sneeze, we call that stress urinary incontinence. This happens due to a sudden increase in intra-abdominal pressure (the pressure that exists in the space created by the diaphragm, abdominal muscles, and pelvic floor). Physical activities that increase this pressure include coughing sneezing laughing straining exercising While many people believe this is only an issue that pregnant folx experience, leaking pee with a cough or sneeze can impact anyone . However, it is a common symptom during pregnancy and postpartum due to the anatomical, hormonal, and postural changes that occur. Despite being common, it does NOT have to be your ‘normal’ as pelvic floor therapy can be a great place to start treating this pesky symptom! Let’s dive deeper. Looking at the image below, we see the anatomy of the respiratory canister. The diaphragm (or breathing muscle) is at the top, the transverse abdominis core muscle wraps like a corset from the front to the back, and the pelvic floor muscles form a supportive sling at the bottom. When we take a breath in (left), the diaphragm lowers, the abdominal wall expands outward and the pelvic floor moves downward. When we breathe out (right), the diaphragm relaxes to lift up, the abdominal wall and pelvic floor muscles shorten to return to their resting positions.