Pee When You Sneeze? Facts on Stress Incontinence | UPMC HealthBeat (2024)

UPMC HealthBeat en español

Urology

3 Minute Read

Medically Reviewed by Urology

Pee When You Sneeze? Facts on Stress Incontinence | UPMC HealthBeat (1)

Copied!

You’re walking down the street when you feel a sneeze attack coming on. And with each hearty “achoo,” you leak a little bit of urine. You wonder: Is this normal?

Why Do I Pee When I Sneeze?

If you leak urine — a little or a lot — when you laugh, cough, or sneeze, you have a type of urinary incontinence. It’s common, especially in women as they get older. But it’s not an inevitable part of aging.

There are many things you can do to improve urinary incontinence.

Subscribe to Our HealthBeat Newsletter!

(Tap to Join!)(Click to Join!)

I understand that by providing my email address, I agree to receive emails from UPMC. I understand that I may opt out of receiving such communications at any time.

Thank you for subscribing!

You can now select the specific newsletters you'd like to receive.

You are already subscribed.

Subscribe to more newsletters in our email preference center.

Sorry, an error occurred. Please try again later.

Or try our email preference center instead.

Get Healthy Tips Sent to Your Phone!

What Is Urinary Incontinence?

Urinary incontinence means that you leak urine when you don’t want to. There are two kinds of urinary incontinence:

  • Urgency incontinence. Also called overactive bladder, urgency incontinence happens when the bladder spasms and squeezes uncontrollably. The main symptom is a strong, sudden “gotta go” urge.
  • Stress incontinence. The word stress refers to physical pressure on the pelvic floor — like sneezing or coughing — not mental stress.

Some women have both urgency and stress incontinence.

What Is Stress Incontinence?

Stress incontinence happens when there’s sudden pressure on the bladder and urethra. The pressure makes the sphincter muscles (which hold in urine) open for a moment.

These leaks are most likely to happen when you laugh, cough, sneeze, or exercise. Even gentle movements like standing up or bending over can trigger a leak. You may even pee a bit when you have sex.

The amount of urine leaked can be a few drops, or it can be enough to soak through your clothing.

Stress Incontinence in Women

Both men and women can suffer from stress incontinence, but it’s much more common in women.

According to the Urology Care Foundation, about 1 in 3 women will suffer from stress incontinence at some point in their lives. And half of women age 65 and older find that they leak urine.

What Causes Stress Incontinence in Women?

A weak pelvic floor causes stress incontinence in women. The muscles of the pelvic floor can get stretched or damaged. When that happens, they can’t support the urethra to regulate the flow of urine.

Risk factors for stress incontinence in women include:

  • Pregnancy.
  • Childbirth.
  • Being over age 65.
  • Menopause.
  • Being overweight.
  • Having chronic constipation.
  • Smoking.
  • Chronic coughing.
  • Pelvic surgery (i.e., a hysterectomy).

Treatment for Stress Incontinence

There are ways to reduce stress incontinence in women. Many are home remedies with minimal expense.

Lifestyle treatments for stress incontinence in women

Your doctor may recommend the following home treatments:

  • Do pelvic floor exercises. Kegel exercises can strengthen the muscles of your pelvic floor. To do Kegels, tighten and release muscles that hold back urine. Gradually increase the length of the contractions and the number of repetitions.
  • Lose weight. Being overweight can weaken the pelvic floor and increase leaks. Your doctor can recommend a healthy eating and exercise plan.
  • Quit smoking. Chronic coughing from smoking weakens the pelvic floor, making leaks more likely.
  • Improve your bowel movements. Being constipated puts pressure on your urinary tract and pelvic floor. That can make stress incontinence in women worse. Eat plenty of fiber, get regular exercise, and drink 6 to 8 glasses of water each day to ward off constipation.
  • Reduce caffeine and alcohol. Both are diuretics that increase urine output.
  • Cut back on high-impact exercise. Nix running and cardio workouts with lots of jumping. Instead, opt for lower-impact activities like walking, yoga, cycling, or swimming.

Medical treatments for stress incontinence in women

If lifestyle changes don’t help, your doctor may recommend one or more of the following treatments for stress incontinence:

  • vagin*l pessary. This flexible device sits inside the vagin*, supporting the bladder and urethra above it so they can work better. Your doctor will fit the pessary and show you how to insert it.
  • Estrogen creams. These can help strengthen the muscles and tissue in the urethra and vagin*l areas.
  • Surgery. Surgery may be an option to help correct stress incontinence. In urethral sling surgery, a small strip of material is placed under the urethra to support it.

NHS, Non-surgical Treatment, Urinary Incontinence, Link

Urology Care Foundation, What is Stress Urinary Incontinence? Link

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health, Urinary Incontinence, Link

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Bladder Control Problems (Urinary Incontinence), Link

Find a Doctor

Patient Portal

Request Appointment

About Urology

The UPMC Department of Urology offers a wide variety of specialized care for diseases of the male and female urinary tract and the male reproductive organs, including erectile dysfunction, kidney stones, urinary incontinence, prostate cancer, and more. We have a multifaceted team of physicians and researchers working together to provide the best care to both children and adults. Our team is nationally renowned for expertise in highly specialized technologies and minimally invasive surgical techniques. To find a provider near you, visit our website.

Pee When You Sneeze? Facts on Stress Incontinence | UPMC HealthBeat (2024)

FAQs

Pee When You Sneeze? Facts on Stress Incontinence | UPMC HealthBeat? ›

Stress incontinence is the most common form of incontinence. It occurs when the internal sphincter muscles do not close completely around the bladder neck. Activities such as coughing, sneezing, laughing, or lifting heavy objects apply pressure to a full bladder and cause urine to leak.

What is the newest treatment for stress incontinence? ›

Doctors at Roswell Park are now offering a new treatment — posterior tibial nerve stimulation — in addition to other options such as pelvic floor rehabilitation, bladder Botox and sacral nerve stimulation. This convenient, innovative and minimally invasive treatment is proving to be more effective than medications.

What is the main cause of stress urinary incontinence? ›

Causes of Stress Incontinence

Stress incontinence happens when the muscles that support your urethra become weaker. The bladder or other organs may drop and put pressure on the urethra. Causes of weakened pelvic muscles include: Childbirth.

What is the difference between urinary incontinence and stress incontinence? ›

Urinary incontinence is the loss of bladder control. Stress incontinence happens when movement or activity puts pressure on the bladder, causing urine to leak. Movements include coughing, laughing, sneezing, running or heavy lifting. Stress incontinence is not related to mental stress.

How to fix stress urinary incontinence? ›

Quitting smoking, losing excess weight or treating an ongoing cough will lessen your risk of stress incontinence and improve your symptoms. Bladder training. Your health professional might suggest a schedule for using the toilet if you have mixed incontinence. Urinating more often may help with urge incontinence.

What is the gold standard treatment for stress incontinence? ›

Suburethral sling insertion represents the current operative gold standard to treat stress urinary incontinence.

What is the number one treatment for urinary incontinence? ›

If you've been diagnosed with urge incontinence, one of the first treatments you may be offered is bladder training. Bladder training may also be combined with pelvic floor muscle training if you have mixed urinary incontinence.

Will stress incontinence go away? ›

Symptoms most often get better with nonsurgical treatments. However, they will not cure stress incontinence. Surgery can cure most people of stress incontinence.

Can stress incontinence get worse? ›

It's the most common type of urinary incontinence in younger women, but can occur across a woman's lifespan and tends to get worse as people get older.

What are the neurological causes of stress incontinence? ›

Neurogenic bladder is almost always connected to another condition. The most common conditions are Alzheimer's disease; birth defects of the spinal cord; brain or spinal cord tumors; cerebral palsy; encephalitis; multiple sclerosis; Parkinson's disease; and spinal cord injury.

How do you exercise your pelvic floor for stress incontinence? ›

To do Kegels, imagine you are sitting on a marble and tighten your pelvic muscles as if you're lifting the marble. Try it for three seconds at a time, then relax for a count of three. Maintain your focus. For best results, focus on tightening only your pelvic floor muscles.

What is the workup for stress incontinence? ›

Urinalysis. Physical examination with an assessment for POP. Cough stress test. Assessment of urethral mobility.

What is the first line for stress incontinence? ›

First-line treatment includes teaching the patient some behavioral therapies such as bladder training and toileting habits, lifestyle modifications, voiding diaries, dietary changes, avoiding bladder irritants (such as caffeine and smoking), pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT), and biofeedback.

What is the new treatment for stress incontinence? ›

The eCoin system, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in March 2022 for the treatment of urgency urinary incontinence, is based on tibial nerve stimulation. The tibial nerve is involved in movement and feeling in the legs and feet, and it also influences the nerves that control the bladder.

What is the drug of choice for stress incontinence? ›

Duloxetine. Duloxetine is a medication used to treat stress urinary incontinence. It works by increasing the activity of the nerve that stimulates the urethral sphincter, improving control. Like any medication, it does have some side effects and is not suitable for everyone.

What aggravates stress incontinence? ›

Urinary incontinence can be triggered by many different factors such as coughing, sneezing, laughing or moving suddenly as well as being related to an urge or sudden desire to go to the toilet. It can also be caused by certain medical conditions or from damage to the bladder.

What is the new drug to stop incontinence? ›

GEMTESA (vibegron) is an oral medication indicated for the treatment of overactive bladder (OAB) with signs of urge urinary incontinence (UUI), urgency, and urinary frequency in adults. GEMTESA is available as an oral once-daily, oval, light green, film-coated tablet in 75mg strength.

What is the second line treatment for stress incontinence? ›

Common second-line treatment options for UUI are: Botulinum toxin bladder injection. Nerve stimulation, also known as neuromodulation. Surgery to increase bladder volume.

Is there surgery to fix stress incontinence? ›

Colposuspension. Colposuspension involves making a cut in your lower tummy (abdomen), lifting the neck of your bladder, and stitching it in this lifted position. If you have a vagin*, a colposuspension can help prevent involuntary leaks from stress incontinence.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Chrissy Homenick

Last Updated:

Views: 5533

Rating: 4.3 / 5 (74 voted)

Reviews: 89% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Chrissy Homenick

Birthday: 2001-10-22

Address: 611 Kuhn Oval, Feltonbury, NY 02783-3818

Phone: +96619177651654

Job: Mining Representative

Hobby: amateur radio, Sculling, Knife making, Gardening, Watching movies, Gunsmithing, Video gaming

Introduction: My name is Chrissy Homenick, I am a tender, funny, determined, tender, glorious, fancy, enthusiastic person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.