Involuntary leakage of urine occurs in many pregnant women. Usually, however, this is not a symptom of any medical condition, but is caused by the uterus compressing the bladder. After giving birth, the problem usually goes away. During pregnancy, proper hygiene of the intimate area is necessary, and if the problem is severe, you should start exercising the Kegel muscles.

Pregnant bladdercan cause many problems -urinary incontinence ,bladder infectionsare on the agenda at this time. If you accidentally miss a few drops of urine when coughing, sneezing or strenuously, you may be surprised and embarrassed, perhaps also worried, especially if you have never had similar symptoms before. Is there something wrong with me? Does it heal? Or maybe it will always be like that? - you ask yourself questions. First, don't be overburdened. The phenomenon of stress urinary incontinence during pregnancy is common - it affects more than half of women. It does not indicate a serious he alth problem, and it usually feels like a bad dream after having a baby. Secondly, you have to survive these few months, minimizing discomfort as much as possible.

Pregnant bladder: problems arise from a woman's physiology

In women who are expecting a baby, the problem of urinary incontinence increases for several reasons. From the first weeks of pregnancy, your body produces significantly more progesterone, a muscle-relaxing hormone. This is primarily to prepare the body for childbirth, but progesterone also relaxes the muscles of the bladder sphincter, making it weaker and not as tight as before. Additionally, the enlarging uterus is putting more pressure on the bladder that is located directly underneath it. As pregnancy progresses, the uterus pushes more and more, leaving less and less space for the bladder. So, on the one hand, the uterus is pressing against the bladder and, on the other hand, the cork (or sphincter) is weakened by hormones. Also, the pelvic floor muscles that support the vagina, uterus and bladder are more stretched towards the end of pregnancy (when the woman is not doing Kegel exercises), and this further weakens the tightness of the urethra. All this means that when the pressure in the abdominal cavity increases (e.g. when coughing, sneezing or laughing loudly) a certain amount of urine is released on theoutside, causing an unpleasant feeling of dampness. The discomfort is even greater as urine emits a pungent odor which - with insufficient hygiene - may be perceptible to the environment. Then what? First of all, you need to take care of proper hygiene and habits, and secondly, start exercising your pelvic floor muscles as soon as possible. As long as you do not feel any discomfort, you do not have to immediately run to the gynecologist with this problem, although it is definitely worth mentioning when visiting. The doctor will probably also recommend some exercises.

Pregnant bladder: take care of intimate hygiene

To keep the problem as little as possible, take care of intimate hygiene - change sanitary napkins frequently and wash yourself regularly. It is worth using special Seni Lady or Tena Lady sanitary pads, which are very absorbent and have a system that neutralizes the smell of urine. Do not limit the amount of fluids you drink, drink 2 liters a day. Limiting your drinking will not help your muscles and may lead to urinary tract infections. Avoid drinks and foods that can irritate the bladder: coffee (and other caffeinated fluids), carbonated drinks and alcohol, citrus, tomatoes, hot spices. Visit the toilet as often as possible - don't wait for the bladder to be full, go right away when you feel the need to. Best of all, warn your body: if you notice that urine is leaking out involuntarily every three hours or so, try to go to the toilet before that time is up. Avoid constipation, as the stool can also constrict the bladder, and a strenuous effort to empty your bowels will weaken your pelvic floor muscles.

Bladder infections during pregnancy

All of this is sufficient as long as there are no symptoms of a bladder infection. These include: frequent urge to urinate, burning when passing urine, inability to empty the bladder despite feeling the need to do so, pain in the lower abdomen and cloudy, blood-colored urine. When these symptoms occur, see a doctor as you may need to use an antibiotic. Do not underestimate the bladder infection, because if it is not treated, bacteria can attack the kidneys, and kidney infection in pregnancy can result in premature birth (in the third trimester).Note:even if you are in no pain , in case of urinary incontinence, you should check urine more often, as this condition is conducive to infections, and besides, bladder infection is sometimes completely asymptomatic.

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Pregnancy