Is it normal to have bladder problems during pregnancy?

Dr. Louise Carroll (MISCP) specialist pelvic health physiotherapist

Bladder problems like stress incontinence (leaking pee when you cough or exercise) and urge incontinence (where you have to rush to the toilet and may leak pee on the way) are not normal during pregnancy but they are very common.
Research shows that over half of women have stress incontinence during their first pregnancy. If you have had a baby before, the chances of having leaking during your pregnancy are even higher, with more than 8 out of 10 women reporting stress incontinence.
So, if you have this problem, what should you do?
Firstly, it’s always good to mention it to your GP, consultant or midwife.
Often they can refer you to a specialist physiotherapist with experience treating women with this problem. The second thing you can do is to start practising pelvic floor exercises, also known as ‘kegels’. These special exercises strengthen the muscles inside your pelvis that control your bladder and bowel. This can decrease your chances of having a big tear during the birth and help you to recover faster afterwards. You can learn more about how to do pelvic floor exercises on our website – see link below.
For urge incontinence, training yourself to wait until your bladder urge calms down before going to the toilet can be very effective. So instead of running to the toilet straight away, sit down, cross your legs if you have to and wait until the worst of the urge passes. Then walk calmly to the toilet straight away. If you practice this enough it may help get you back in control of your bladder. This is called bladder training and you can find more information on our website.
For more research-informed and practical information about pelvic health in pregnancy, visit www.pelvichealthireland.ie

Dr. Louise Carroll (MISCP) is a specialist pelvic health physiotherapist