TMI TALK: Bathroom Habits for Women

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Bathroom habits are often among the first signs that something is off with the pelvic floor.

Whether it's embarrassment or simple resignation, many women avoid bringing these symptoms up with their health care providers. The good news: there's a lot you can do on your own to improve both urinary leaking and difficulty with bowel movements.

When It Comes to Urinating

Don't push while you urinate. Urination should happen through muscle relaxation, not force. Pushing or bearing down can be a sign of pelvic floor muscle tension.

Notice if you urinate twice, or leak when you stand up from the toilet. This is a common sign of pelvic floor tension or tightness. For many reasons, the muscles can have a hard time truly relaxing, and relaxing the pelvic floor is often harder than engaging it. Here's a simple way to start working on that:

1. Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.

2. Inhale, and focus on relaxing your abdominals, glutes, and pelvic floor.

3. There should be no bearing down (instead, aim for a feeling of lengthening through the pelvic floor)

4. Try 5 breaths at a time, daily, until it starts to feel easier.

You should notice a reduction in leaking as this gets easier to do.

Urgency is often situational. A common example: feeling like you have to go the moment you walk in the door, and worrying you won't make it to the bathroom in time. Anxiety often plays a role here. Start by taking a deep breath and reminding yourself, "It's okay, I will make it to the bathroom." If that's not enough, doing a pelvic floor contraction (a Kegel) can also help ease the urgency so you can make it in time.

Sit down fully on the toilet — don't hover. Hovering keeps the pelvic floor from relaxing, which works against you. If public restrooms bother you, cover the seat with toilet paper and sit down anyway.

When It Comes to Bowel Movements

Use a Squatty Potty or a footstool. This helps put your pelvis in a better position for the muscles to relax.

Exhale as you go, rather than holding your breath and bearing down. The goal is to relax the pelvic floor while exhaling. Helpful cues include imagining you're blowing out a candle or blowing a bubble.

If you find yourself bearing down to have a bowel movement, that's often a sign of constipation. Bearing down can worsen pelvic floor dysfunction and contribute to hemorrhoids. Most people don't get enough fiber in their diet, and fiber is key to keeping stool soft. Constipation is also very common during pregnancy. If more fiber and better hydration don't resolve it, talk to your doctor about adding a stool softener like Colace on a regular basis.

Keep bathroom visits under 5 minutes. Sitting longer than that puts extra strain on the pelvic floor and can contribute to pain and dysfunction over time. So yes, if you're doom-scrolling on the toilet, it's a habit worth breaking.

When to Get Help

Pelvic floor relaxation and strength both matter during pregnancy and postpartum. If you're dealing with either issue, you don't have to figure it out on your own, come in for an evaluation at Core PT&P.

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