It usually happens quietly. A few drops on the third round of skipping, spare leggings kept in the gym bag, a decision to skip the trampoline class. Leaking urine during exercise is far more common among active women than most people imagine, and it is not limited to mothers. Surveys of runners, weightlifters, CrossFit athletes and gymnasts consistently find that a large proportion leak during training, and many have never given birth.
The idea that being strong protects the pelvic floor is one of the most persistent myths in women's health. Strong legs, back and abdominal wall do not automatically give you a pelvic floor that responds quickly enough under load, and some things that make training effective make leaking more likely. Running and jumping send repeated downward force through the pelvis, and lifting heavy while holding the breath raises abdominal pressure that has to go somewhere.
Ask whether you need to be seen
Message us with what you are experiencing and we will tell you whether an examination is worth making, and what the appointment involves.
Where in Bangkok: THE FIT CLINIC, 8th Floor, EM Tower (EMSPHERE), at BTS Phrom Phong, with specialists in urogynecology and female pelvic reconstructive surgery. A female doctor can be chosen. Open daily 10:00–19:00.
WhatsAppLINEThis is why being told to just do more Kegels so often disappoints. Squeezing harder helps when the muscle is genuinely weak, but many active women have the opposite problem: a pelvic floor already tight, guarded and unable to release. A short, overworked muscle cannot contract well, so more clenching may worsen leaking and add discomfort or urgency. Weakness and overactivity look almost identical from outside. An assessment tells them apart.
At THE FIT CLINIC in Bangkok, that assessment is the starting point: how the pelvic floor contracts, whether it can let go, how it answers a cough or a jump, and how your breathing and bracing load it under the bar. The plan follows from what is found, and may combine technique and breathing work, load management rather than giving up your sport, and non-surgical strengthening such as the Dr. Arnold Magnetic Chair, which uses high-intensity electromagnetic technology while you sit fully clothed.
What most deserves changing is the silence. Many women quietly drop the classes they love rather than mention leaking to anyone, a heavy price for something so common and so workable. THE FIT CLINIC is on the 8th Floor, EM Tower, EMSPHERE, 628 Sukhumvit Road, by BTS Phrom Phong, open daily 10:00 to 19:00. No referral is needed. Ask a question or book on LINE @thefitbkk, or call +66 92 294 6555. Consultations are held in English or Thai.