Leaking Urine During Pregnancy: Causes and Coping Methods

Leaking Urine During Pregnancy: Causes and Coping Methods



Leaking urine is a common hazard for many pregnant women. However, the problem is worse for some than others. Urinary incontinence or involuntary passage of some urine happens occasionally in many women, and more frequently in others. A woman's body mass index and age are some of the known risk factors of incontinence during pregnancy.

Why Do You Leak Urine During Pregnancy?

Whether or not you have had urine leakage problems before, you can notice some leakage during the third trimester. It can be triggered by:

Lifting something

A simple shifting of position

Laughing

Sneezing

Coughing

Exercising

Your uterus expands as your baby grows. This causes an increase in pressure against other internal organs such as the bladder. Leaking urine during pregnancy is termed as stress incontinence.

Your baby's movements, including kicking and stretching can also cause your bladder to contract and in the process leak urine. Sexual intercourse when you are pregnant can also lead to bladder leaks. Leakage may also occur due to hormonal changes.

For those who have been pregnant multiple times, urine leakage may start earlier in pregnancy. This may happen due to cumulative weakening of the pelvic floor muscles.

Multiple vaginal births, tearing and large baby sizes are additional contributing factors.

An overactive bladder can also cause urine leakage during pregnancy. If your bladder is overactive, you will tend to urinate more frequently than normal. This happens due to uncontrollable spasms of the muscles surrounding the urinary tube (urethra). The result is that any strong bladder contraction sets off the urge to urinate more often than usual.

Studies show that women from families with history of incontinence, those who gain more weight than normal during pregnancy or have a higher body mass index than normal, and those who are more than 35 when they get pregnant, have an increased risk of urine leakage during pregnancy.