A physical therapist has revealed why peeing in the shower is bad for the pelvic floor muscles in females - and it's honestly eye-opening.
Dr. Alicia Jeffrey-Thomas, who goes by @scrambledjam on TikTok, recently posted a video sharing common toilet habits that are bad for all people's pelvic floor - but particularly that in female bodies.
One of the points mentioned in the post revolved around having a tinkle in the shower - but it's not for hygienic reasons that you may be thinking.
Dr. Jeffrey-Thomas, a certified pelvic floor physical therapist, told BuzzFeed that peeing in the shower can lead to a person associating the sound of running water with the urge to urinate.
Take a look at Dr. Jeffrey-Thomas' video here:She told the publication: "Your bladder relies on signals it gets both from the stretch of the bladder walls as it fills, as well as signals from the brain which let it know when to contract to urinate.
"We want to avoid training our bladder to associate certain signals with the urge to pee. In this case, peeing in the shower associates the sound of running water with urination or with submersion in water.
"This can often transition into being triggered by other sounds of running water (like when you're running the faucet to wash your hands or the dishes) or when you're in bodies of water."
The doctor goes into more detail in the video below:Dr. Jeffrey-Thomas went on to explain that in some people who have a form of pelvic floor dysfunction, peeing in the shower could worsen symptoms of urge incontinence, which is when urine suddenly leaks right when you feel the urge to pee.
In terms of how peeing in the shower affects those with vaginas specifically, the truth is, the female anatomy just isn't built for taking a pee standing up - and, it goes without saying, we do typically stand in the shower.
Bladders in male bodies are supported by the prostate, which means standing while peeing is not in any way harmful. But bladders in female bodies do not have that extra support.
But if you have a vagina and want to continue peeing in the shower, you could try deep squatting while urinating rather than doing it standing up. Although the first issue about associating running water with the urge to pee will still be an issue.