I remember the first time I peed my pants in a workout. It was the summer of 2018, my first daughter was 8 months old, and I was just getting back into crossfit. I figured I had taken plenty of time off at home doing light exercise and letting my body heal. I was excited to see the workout of the day was “Annie”, a combo of jumping rope and sit ups that I had been pretty good at pre pregnancy. I started, feeling pretty good, and then it happened. In the moment, I wasn’t sure what it was, but I had most certainly peed my pants.
I came to learn this was a typical occurrence in any gym. Happens to a lot of fit women. I was is in good company, but I didn’t like it.
Recently, I came across an article titled Why French women don’t pee their pants when they laugh and you do and I was surprised to learn this isn;t as big of a problem worldwide as it is here. Women in France are offered 10+ visits of pelvic floor PT after birth and nearly all of them take it! This progressive form of treatment gives them a better quality of life. They are able to exercise, laugh, and sneeze without peeing their pants, and their risk of prolapse is significantly decreased. While we in America accept these things as the fate of a mom, European women are living their best lives. I want that for US!
My hope is that I will be able to encourage more women to advocate for themselves. No healthcare provider ever asked me if I was able to resume exercise without peeing my pants. And I wish they had. We should all be asked if we are able to get back to the things that make us feel most like ourselves without embarrassing accidents. So take matters into your own hands– meet with a pelvic floor PT during pregnancy. Get checked out by a pelvic floor PT after you give birth. Make sure your core and pelvic floor are strong and functioning properly. Talk to someone about your symptoms!
And as always, feel free to holler at me with questions!
Rachel Atufunwa, PT, DPT