Who doesn't love to save the earth a little by peeing in the shower?
But can peeing in the shower create an association in your brain between running water and peeing, eventually resulting in a shower-related incontinence trigger?
Yikes!!!
Or, does peeing in the shower create dysfunctional peeing habits because people with female anatomy were not meant to pee standing up?
Phew, deep breath. There's a lot of misinformation in the world around this topic, so let's unpack some of this.
Urge Incontinence Triggers
If you develop urinary urgency, frequency, and ultimately pee leaks related to turning on the shower, you were probably going to develop that issue whether you've been peeing in the shower or not.
People develop all sorts of triggers, granted they are usually related to where and when you pee the most, this doesn't mean not peeing in the shower will save you from developing a water-related trigger.
Urge incontinence is the result of a disconnect between the bladder and the brain and an overall irritated bladder. This is often due to pelvic floor dysfunction, pelvic floor injury, chronic too frequent or too infrequent peeing, and nervous system dysregulation.
Peeing Standing Up
Yes, a deep squat is the best position for peeing for both male and female anatomy. Deep squats stretch and relax the pelvic floor and shorten the distance pee has to travel in the urethra.
Will peeing in the shower once a day create dysfunctional peeing?
Probably not. Just make sure you are not bearing down or that your stream doesn't spray everywhere.
Just as in the case of developing urge incontinence with peeing in the shower, if you develop issues with painful peeing or incomplete emptying, you likely have a tight pelvic floor and that was going to show up at some point anyway.
Conclusion
If you develop issues with peeing in the shower, you should stop, and you should also see a pelvic floor physical therapist.
If shower-peeing triggers pelvic floor issues, it's likely those issues were lurking under the surface and would have shown up eventually, even without shower-peeing.
I assure you that it's okay to pee in the shower if that's a preference of yours! And remember, if you are worried about these issues, pelvic floor PT can help. Book your session today!