The urethra (where urine comes out) is surrounded by the urethral sponge—think of it as a snuggie for your pee hole. The sponge's job is to swell up around the urethra as a woman becomes turned on, so that she can't actually pee when she's sexually aroused.
"When you have an erection, the spongey tissue, the corpora cavernosa around the urethra, get larger and expand," explains urologist Dr. Rena Malik in a new video on her YouTube channel. "And when these are expanded, they're pushing down on the urethra where you urinate from, and it creates a little bit of resistance."
Meditation and breathing exercises to help you control anxiety and relax your urinary tract. Psychotherapy, or talk therapy, to treat mental health issues that might be causing shy bladder. Self-catheterization (clean intermittent catheterization), which uses a tube to empty your bladder when you're away from home.
Conditions that may be causing you to push when you pee.
Women with pelvic organ prolapse, a condition that causes one of the pelvic organs to protrude into or even through the vaginal canal may find it difficult to start urination, causing them to “push” to get it going.
If you can't help but push urine out, see a urologist or primary care doctor to determine if you need medication, specific exercises, or other therapies to address your underlying urinary issue.
To “get it all out.” Incomplete bladder emptying is a common problem for a lot of people, so we understand that you are trying to do a good job and empty your bladder fully. However, if you need to push your pee out to empty your bladder, this is a sign of pelvic floor and bladder dysfunction.
Symptoms can include pain in the side, decreased or increased urine flow, and urinating at night. Symptoms are more common if the blockage is sudden and complete. Testing can include insertion of a urethral catheter, insertion of a viewing tube into the urethra, and imaging tests.
Infections and swelling
This causes it to press on the urethra to block the flow of urine. A urinary tract infection (UTI) can cause swelling of the urethra or weakness of the bladder, both of which can cause urinary retention. Diseases spread by having sex (called STIs) can also cause swelling and lead to retention.
While this is commonly related to drinking a lot of water or taking medication, sometimes, it could mean something more serious like an infection or diabetes. It can also be related to weakening of the pelvic floor muscles around the bladder.
In severe cases, it's a life-altering disability. I suspect there are more sufferers out there than one would imagine, but shame keeps them quiet. Dear Reader: Shy bladder syndrome is a social anxiety disorder that makes it difficult -- or even impossible -- for an individual to urinate when someone else is present.
There's no harm in males peeing after sex, but there's not as much benefit. A male's urethra is longer than a female's, so they don't usually get post-sex UTIs. Common causes of UTIs in men include kidney stones and an enlarged prostate.
Urethral stricture occurs in females in the form of fibrous stenosis in the distal portion.
UTIs are a common cause of white particles in the urine. UTIs occur when bacteria enter the urethra and make their way to the bladder, kidneys, or ureter, where they multiply and cause the infection. Less commonly, viruses, parasites, or fungi entering the urinary tract may cause a UTI.
The urethra can get swollen and cause burning pain when you urinate. You may also have pain with sex. It can cause pain in the belly (abdomen) or pelvis. A urethral or vaginal discharge may also occur.
A split stream of urine is usually a sign of an issue with the bladder or the urethra. A split urine stream can also result from a condition called prostatitis. Prostatitis is an inflammation of the prostate gland in males. A split urinary stream can occur in both men and women but most commonly occurs among men.
Voiding dysfunction is a broad term, used to describe conditions where there is poor coordination between the bladder muscle and the urethra. This results in incomplete relaxation or overactivity of the pelvic floor muscles during voiding.
It can result from a blockage of the passage that lets urine out of your bladder (urethra), or a problem with how your bladder muscle works. You might notice a weaker stream of urine, pain and fullness in your abdomen, urine leakage and difficulty holding urine in.
While your brain is focusing on these vital organs, it's less focused on functions such as bladder control. For some people, this means feeling the urge to urinate but for others, it can mean having difficulty urinating.
Both anxiety and the fight or flight system cause changes to the body that can lead to urinary difficulties. There is no treatment specifically for those difficulties, but it is possible to treat anxiety.
After Treatment
Cognitive behavioral therapy seems to be effective in about 85 out of 100 people, and along with drug therapy, shy bladder can often be controlled.
In rare and serious situations, holding urine for too long can lead to a bladder rupture. “We have seen patients who haven't urinated in about a week, and they'll have over 2 liters of urine in their bladder,” Dr. Bandukwala says. “If too much pressure builds up in the bladder, it can rupture.