Can a Lingering Cold Cough Make Urinary Incontinence Worse? Why You Leak When You Cough and How to Manage It
At a glance A cough briefly raises the pressure inside your abdomen. If you have stress urinary incontinence , leaks can happen more often during a cold, when you are coughing a lot. When a cough drags on for weeks, the muscles that support the pelvic floor are strained again and again, so you may notice leaks even in situations that used to be fine. Squeezing your pelvic floor just before you cough and leaning slightly forward are commonly recommended. If symptoms remain two to three weeks after the cough has stopped , see a doctor to find out what type of incontinence it is. Some people notice that they leak urine more often while a cold keeps them coughing for days. When something that rarely happens starts repeating only while you are coughing, it is hard to tell whether the condition has gotten worse or whether it is just temporary. This post walks through why leaks happen when you cough, what changes when a cough lasts a long time, how to manage while you are coughing, and...