Leaking a little when you cough, laugh or hurry to the toilet, and being told it is just part of getting older or part of having had children. Many women hear this, and many stop asking. It is a fair thing to wonder about, and it deserves a better answer than a shrug.
Leaking is common, and common is not the same as normal to live with. Age and childbirth can change how well the pelvic floor supports the bladder, so they are real risk factors. But they describe why it may have started, not a reason nothing can be done. Leaking is a symptom with causes that can be found, and different causes respond to different things.
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.
WhatsAppLINEThe first useful question is which kind of leaking you have. If it happens with coughing, sneezing, lifting or running, with no warning, that is usually a support and closure problem. If you get a sudden, strong need to go and cannot always hold it, that is usually the bladder muscle contracting when it should stay quiet. Many women have a mix of both. The two respond to almost opposite approaches, which is why treating the wrong one is a common reason women decide that nothing works.
Assessment starts with a conversation about when you leak, how often and what it stops you doing, sometimes with a short bladder diary, followed by an examination of the pelvic floor and a check for prolapse, since a bulge alongside leaking changes the plan. Many women are surprised that the first steps are not an operation. Supervised pelvic floor training, taught and checked by someone who can feel whether you are using the right muscles, and bladder training for urgency, are where most plans begin. Drinking less is not part of the plan: it tends to make urgency worse. If those are not enough, there are further options, and surgery is one of them, not the starting point. Which is right depends on your examination. Results differ between individuals; no outcome is guaranteed.
Leaking can also have causes other than the pelvic floor, such as an infection or a medicine, so it is worth having it looked at rather than assuming it is age.
See a doctor sooner if you notice blood in your urine, burning or pain when passing urine, a sudden change in how you leak, leaking with new back pain, weakness or numbness, or if you cannot empty your bladder. Those need assessment promptly.
If you have been telling yourself this is just your age, send us a few lines on WhatsApp or LINE about what you are experiencing, in your own words. The team will reply with whether an examination is worth making and what the appointment involves, and there is no need to feel embarrassed about the details. Consultations are in Thai or English at EMSPHERE, next to BTS Phrom Phong.