Nobody Wants to Talk About It: Peeing When You Exercise

Ever do a jumping exercise at the gym and find yourself, ahem, peeing a little? According to an article in Reviews in Urology, about a quarter of women experience urinary incontinence, especially during exercise and as a result of coughing. The issue is twice as prevalent among women than among men, but many women never seek treatment despite it being simple and efficient.

A new Swedish app —T?t — is working to minimize your leakage without any doctor visits. “We are aware that many women with these problems never seek help in usual health care. Instead, they seek information on their own,” says Ina Asklund, a general practitioner and doctoral student at the Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine at Ume? University in Sweden. “By offering treatment via an app, we are hoping that more women will discover and gain access to efficient treatment.”

In a small study, women using the app reported fewer leakages, improved quality of life, and minimized symptoms and need for incontinence pads. “The results of our evaluation clearly show that the T?t app was efficient as a first-line treatment for women with stress urinary incontinence,” says Eva Samuelsson, a project manager and associate professor in the Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine at Ume? University. “Self-managed exercises also seem to be an appreciated form of treatment, which is why we have made the app available free for everyone.”

Unfortunately, the app is available only in Swedish, but if you’re among the one in four women who struggles with urinary incontinence and finds it embarrassing to talk about, an app with similar exercises is available in English. Download Pelvic Floor First and do jumping jacks in peace!