Stopping The Leaks

Peeing in your pants during exercise is way more common than you might think—especially among active women. Here’s how to take control.

- Alyssa Shaffer

The first time it happens it might take you by complete surprise. Maybe it’s when you’re sprinting to finish up a run, or you’re pushing through a squat with a heavy weight racked across your back. Or maybe it’s when you’re powering through a set of jumping jacks, or when you laugh, cough, or sneeze. Before you know it, a little bit (or sometimes a lot!) of pee has come out. Then you find it happening again. And again.

Studies show up to 35% of women experience this type of leakage, known as stress urinary incontinence (SUI). And while it tends to occur with more frequency as you get older and with issues like obesity and smoking, active women tend to experience more than their share of symptoms, in part because of the nature of their workouts.

“Although it’s more common among women who have had vaginal births, even those who were never pregnant can develop SUI, whether due to a genetic predisposition or from high-impact exercises or coughing or sneezing,” explains Mary Lake Polan, a clinical professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences at Yale University School of Medicine and a spokesperson for Consortia Health, which specializes in pelvic floor training.

What’s Happening?