I went straight to a urethral sling. Best decision ever.

Go see a pelvic floor PT. These things are fixable, you don't have to live with it!

Thanks all, OP here. I'll consider the PT suggestion! Re: stopping to use the bathroom along the way - that's definitely an option and something I've done before, but I'm trying to improve my times so I was resistant to the idea. Maybe for daily training it doesn't matter so much, though.

I saw a urogynacologist who prescribed vaginal estrogen and recommended surgery. I was, admittedly, VERY bad about remembering to use the estrogen cream.
I’ve been slowly ramping my mileage and doing weight lifting classes and it has improved… which the urogyno said probably wouldn’t happen (which is why surgery was on the table!). I had to stop once during the CB10 miler to pee but it was much better than a year ago when shorter distances would lead to leaks.

You can also talk to your doctor about vaginal estrogen. I no longer have to pee all the time.

It's common but not normal, like someone said. A pelvic floor therapist should be able to help.
That being said, regardless of whether you'll pee yourself or not, I tend to like to know where the bathrooms are on my runs. Running can really activate your colon. I live in a city and run in urban spaces and definitely know the best gas stations/parks/etc to use ICE.

I wear this when I run

https://www.thinx.com/collections/bladder-shop-all

I tried a pad but it got all bunched up and was gross. A pessary did nothing for me

I’d see a PT that specializes in pelvic floor.

Anonymous wrote:That's normal. Honestly it might not improve and will eventually get worse. There are some pelvic floor therapies you can do to try to improve the muscles and stave off surgery for as long as possible.

It's not normal. It's common, but that doesn't mean it's normal health-wise.

See a pelvic floor PT, OP. My three kids (all vaginal deliveries) are 13, 11, and 9 - I don't have any leakage issues. Saw a pelvic floor PT for a check-up of sorts when the youngest was about a year old.

You can also try to plan long runs on routes where you know there are portapotties (parks, etc).

Use a pessary with a pad.

OP here - thanks for the replies! I haven't seen any medical professionals about this (yet). I was curious about whether there might be a 'workaround'. I'll try some exercises first but then explore other options if that doesn't work!

That's normal. Honestly it might not improve and will eventually get worse. There are some pelvic floor therapies you can do to try to improve the muscles and stave off surgery for as long as possible.

Have you talked to a urologist about it? I’m on mirabegron but there’s a few options for an overactive bladder. Can you run in a location with a port a potty? Why not just pee before you head out? I go first thing in the morning so I pee when I wake up.

Just like people need to poop when they run, the muscles get looser for our bladder too.

Help me figure out this issue! Ever since my kids were born (vaginally) I occasionally leak a little bit while jogging unless I go to the bathroom RIGHT before I run. [For reference, my kids are teen/tween age so it's not like the births were recent].

Lately, I've been trying to increase my distance but have been facing a conundrum where if I try to hydrate before I go out, I really need to pee mid-jog. Or if I don't drink anything before going out, I feel so dehydrated along the way that it's hard to keep going. And sometimes even getting a few sips of water mid-jog makes me have to go before the end of the run. Then of course when I get home, I head to the bathroom and the amount isn't even that much!

Is the answer to this just doing kegels or whatever pelvic floor exercises are recommended? Or has anyone else BTDT and have some tips? Thanks!!