Gotta go? Don’t hold it in, because waiting too long before finding a bathroom may put you at risk of a slew of unfortunate symptoms — which won’t make those extra minutes working on a deadline worth it.
In a bizarre new sex trend, women are now giving themselves #peegasms or solo orgasms, claiming that releasing pent-up urine could send shivers from the spine to the head. While the technique is slowly gaining popularity, doctors are warning that the trend is actually really, really bad for your kidney.
1. Burst bladder
It’s quite rare and unlikely to happen to you, but your bladder can burst if you hold in your wee too much. When the bladder bursts, urine will fill the abdomen and you will require emergency surgery to fix it. However, it is more likely that your bladder will simply stretch or the muscles will become weaker, causing you to wet your pants.
Needless to say, if you think this has happened to you, then speak to a doctor straight away.
2. Infection
UTIs happen when the urinary tract becomes infected, usually by bacteria. They can cause pain, burning and stinging when weeing, an urgent need to pee, urine that’s dark and strong smelling and pain in your lower tummy. Studies have shown that holding your wee in for too long can cause the bacteria responsible for the infection to multiply.
3. Leakage
Incontinence is when your body struggles to control the urge to go to the toilet, caused by a weakening of the pelvic floor muscles. A simple sneeze or a cough can cause you to leak a bit of pee, and it is more common in women who have given birth.
In order to maintain your strength down there, you should go to the toilet whenever you need to and practice pelvic floor exercises like kegels — if you want to avoid wearing adult diapers!
4. Kidney stones
Kidney stones are formed when waste products in in the blood form crystals and develop over time. They are more common if you don’t drink enough clear liquids and if you hold in your pee too often. Most kidney stones are small enough to be passed out – albeit painfully – in your wee, but some may require surgery to remove them.
If you have kidney stones you may experience a persistent ache in your lower back, nausea, pain when you wee and blood in your wee. Talk to your doctor!
5. Stretched bladder
Your bladder can actually stretch if you don’t pee often enough. It makes sense when you think about it, as your bladder becomes too full and the liquid causes the muscles and membranes to stretch around it — like water in a balloon.
But when this happens it may make it more difficult for you to release pee normally in the future because the bladder doesn’t bounce back to it’s original shape. In severe cases, a person may need a catheter to help them go to the loo.
