Urinary leaks during pregnancy: the solutions What are the symptoms of urinary incontinence?

During pregnancy, you may find it difficult to maintain control over your bladder due to the baby's weight. Do not panic, this happens to almost half of pregnant women. And although this problem is binding on a daily basis, it is possible to lighten the load. There is indeed a wide variety of urinary protection for adults, see Sphere Health for example.

We talk about incontinence when a person can no longer control the passage of urine out of his bladder. Between two visits to the small corner, if you have the continual urge to pee, it is possible that you suffer from it. Similarly, when you cough, laugh, or when you exert yourself, urinary leakage can occur. Know that this is absolutely not abnormal: a third of women in early pregnancy report having urinary leakage, compared to almost half during the eighth month.

What conditions promote urinary incontinence?

Women who experience significant weight gain during pregnancy are the first to be prone to urinary incontinence. Those who practice excessive physical activity are also affected. Carbonated drinks and caffeine can also cause these unwanted leaks.

Note that unfortunately, women who have been victims of violence are more prone to urinary leakage during pregnancy. They are indeed 72% to have experienced it, against 22% for non-abused patients, according to a meta analysis

When do the risks of urinary leakage appear?

If 50% of pregnant women report suffering from urinary incontinence, the majority of them have exceeded the 6th month of pregnancy: they are 30.7 at 20 SA (weeks of amenorrhea), 48% at 36 SA and 65, 1% of women in late pregnancy.

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This is because baby is getting bigger and its weight is felt, especially on the bladder! But your own weight gain is also a factor, since the increase in abdominal diameter also puts pressure on the bladder. The body goes through changes as it naturally prepares for childbirth. Hormones occur, the role of which is to relax the ligament and muscle system so that baby can pass through the pelvis easily. They bring down the tonicity of the pregnant woman the capacity of contraction is then too little sufficient at the level of the bladder to prevent the urine from passing.

There are two types of urinary incontinence. Stress incontinence, which occurs during a giggle, a sneeze or the practice of a sport, and urgency incontinence, caused this time by an irrepressible need to urinate. It can happen that these two forms combine, this is called mixed incontinence. Note that early pregnancies are more prone to stress incontinence, while subsequent pregnancies are more prone to urge incontinence.

What solutions to lighten your daily life?

Living normally when you have incontinence can seem impossible. But if you thought you had to give up family outings, romantic walks or restaurants with friends, think again! For a few years there have been urine protection products for adults, which are also suitable for pregnant women. The Sphere Health brand markets them in several different forms. Straight protection, absorbent briefs or mattress protector for the bed, all preferences are served for prices varying between 5€ and 30€. The packages generally contain about fifteen protections. As you are pregnant, Neuf Mois recommends discreet briefs such as the tena silhouette protection range or Abri Flex Large Plus absorbent briefs because they are suitable for waist sizes of 100 to 140 cm. If yours is higher, you can slightly tear the sides of the absorbent briefs for more elasticity. For a price of €15.50, you get 14 absorbent briefs to put on instead of your usual underwear, and to throw in the trash once worn out.

Do not hesitate to also consult an osteopath who will give you personalized and oriented follow-up according to your profile. If the urinary leaks appeared during your pregnancy, the management will be different than if they were already present before. As explained above, your pregnancy alters your hormone production. Your system is out of balance to allow more flexibility in ligaments and muscles. It is precisely this extra flexibility that will promote the possibility of urinary leakage. It is then at the level of the hormonal regulation system that it is necessary to act, the latter being located at the level of the skull, on the bone called the sphenoid. The osteopath will therefore work to restore mobility to the cranial sphere to eliminate as much as possible the tensions responsible for the disturbances of the hypothalamic-pituitary system, ie the system of blood vessels connecting the important parts of the brain to each other. The mechanical system of your body is also to be taken into account: the osteopath will therefore check whether, when you move or lean, for example, your bones are correctly positioned. Indeed, the positioning of the bones in relation to the others can disrupt the proper physiological functioning of the nervous, vascular and mechanical areas. The bladder being close to the sacrum, the coccyx and the last lumbar, a blockage of its innervation system can lead to urinary leakage. The osteopath will also check that your muscles are not compressing the vascular or nervous system of the perineum.

Note that under no circumstances will the osteopath perform an internal examination, ie he will never perform a rectal or vaginal examination.

Do not confuse urinary leakage and crack of the bag of waters

Do not panic: distinguishing a urinary leak from a crack in the bag of waters is easy. While a urinary leak occurs suddenly, the crack in the bag of waters is characterized by a constant flow, contrary to what we can see in the movies!

Can the frequent urge to pee announce a pregnancy?

When you are pregnant, your body produces more urine. Between 6 and 8 weeks, the frequent urge to pee can therefore represent a symptom of pregnancy.

Sources

Elodie Ruch. Urinary incontinence in obese pregnant women: prevalence, characteristics and management by health professionals monitoring pregnancy. Gynecology and Obstetrics.2017. ffdumas-01591405f