How Can I Stop Leaking Urine During Pregnancy?

Do you often leak urine during pregnancy? Do you feel like you can’t hold it in long enough to make it to the bathroom? You’re not alone.

Pregnancy is hard on your bladder and pregnant women are more likely than other people to have urinary incontinence.

The good news is that there are many things that may help, including pelvic floor exercises, changing positions when urinating, drinking lots of water or cranberry juice, and Kegel exercises.

These tips should help reduce your leaks so you can feel better about yourself and enjoy this time in your life!

What Are Leaks During Pregnancy?

Pregnancy may cause a woman’s pelvic muscles to weaken, which supplies less support to her urethra.

This can result in leakage of urine during physical activity or simply when the bladder is full.

During pregnancy, a woman’s hormones also cause her pelvic muscles to relax and ligaments around the pubic area to stretch, making it easier for urine that is stored in the bladder to escape.

For some women, this can lead to stress incontinence, which occurs when physical activity or a full bladder makes it difficult for them to stop the flow of urine.

For others, it leads to urge incontinence, which is caused by a sudden, intense urge to urinate that’s difficult to control.

Women with this type of incontinence experienced leaks of small amounts of urine at unpredictable times, such as while coughing or sneezing.

Is It Harmful for Pregnant Women to Leak Urine?

Leaking urine during pregnancy is not harmful and does not cause the baby any harm either.

However, pregnant women may feel embarrassed or anxious about their condition and leaks can interfere with their daily activities.

If you find that your urinary leakage is causing you embarrassment, anxiety, or discomfort, talk to your doctor to discuss how to manage the problem.

Your doctor may be able to recommend specific treatments or suggest lifestyle changes that can make you more comfortable until your baby is born.

What Can I Try at Home?

Pregnant women often report success with the following techniques:

• Drink 6–10 glasses of water each day. Not only is this good for your bladder, but it’s also healthy for you and your baby.
• Avoid caffeine and alcohol. Caffeine and alcohol can irritate the bladder and exacerbate urinary incontinence.
• Practice pelvic floor exercises such as Kegel exercises to strengthen the muscles that support the urethra.
• Urinate every couple of hours or when you feel the need to go. If you hold in urine too long, it puts added pressure on your bladder and pelvic muscles.
• Avoid certain positions that put extra pressure on your bladder, such as standing for a long time or sitting with your legs crossed.
• Wear underwear that is designed specifically to manage urinary leakages, such as pads or adult diapers.
• Practice your breathing techniques. This can help calm you down and prevent fear, anxiety, and embarrassment from making the problem worse.

Do Pregnancy Leaks Go Away after Delivery?

For many women, pregnancy leaks do not interfere with their activities during pregnancy or after their babies are born.

However, approximately 50–75% of all pregnant women experience some urinary leakage during pregnancy and about 16–48% continue to have pelvic floor dysfunction after their babies are born.

It is not clear why some women recover from incontinence after delivery while others do not.

Some studies suggest that the severity of a woman’s incontinence during pregnancy does not predict whether she will recover after delivery.

If you had urinary leakage during your pregnancy or after your baby was born, talk to your doctor about the problem and how to manage it.

Studies show that pelvic floor muscle exercises (Kegel exercises) can help women with mild to moderate urinary leakage.

If your doctor prescribes medication or recommends doing pelvic floor muscle exercises, you can safely practice these techniques during pregnancy.