A pelvic floor expert has explained why it’s important that you don’t ever pee in the shower – and it’s not because it’s gross or unhygienic; it’s much more serious
Have you ever been in the shower and then felt the need to relieve yourself of pee and thought, ‘hmm, it’s only going down the plug hole anyway, what difference does it make?’ You’re certainly not alone if you’ve done that, but there’s a serious health reason why you shouldn’t – and it’s not just because it’s a bit grim.
Pelvic floor expert Dr. Alicia Jeffrey-Thomas took to TikTok to reply to a comment someone had left on her video, which said: “I’ve only heard peeing in the shower is bad for cleanliness – what’s wrong with it?” The expert then shared why you should avoid it.
Alicia said: “Let’s talk about why we shouldn’t pee in the shower. First of all, let’s talk about the overall bladder fitness perspective, and the pelvic floor perspective.
“You know the whole Pavlov’s dog experiment, right? He rings the bell every time he puts food out for the dog, so eventually the dog starts to associate the bell [with food] and he starts to slobber, but there’s no food there”.
She then explained that the same thing happens if you pee in the shower – you’ll start to associate turning on the faucet with peeing, and so won’t be able to stop yourself from doing it.
“You’re creating an association in your brain between the sound of running water and having to pee,” she reiterated.
This could “potentially cause leak issues” later down the line when you hear things like running water when you wash your hands, wash the dishes, or go swimming. It’s obviously fine when you’re in the shower, but when you have that pelvic floor dysfunction, you can’t control when the leaks will happen.
Alicia shared that for “those of us who were assigned female at birth, we’re not designed to pee standing up,” because your “pelvic floor can’t relax appropriately,” which means your bladder won’t be emptied properly.
“Try to pee before you even try and turn on the shower water, and if you get the urge while you’re in the shower, try to ignore it,” she ended the video by saying.
Some in the comments said that they were “just trying to save water,” saying it’s “not that deep”.
But, hygiene expert, @madamesweat, has also warned against forming such habits, explaining why you need to use the toilet before you get into the cubicle.
She said: “A urogynaecologist suggests that it’s habit forming, and it’s not a habit that you want to form.
“They suggest that perhaps we will hear and associate running water with the urge to urinate. This is just a bad habit. How about, just use the toilet before you get into the shower?”
Someone questioned: “But what about all of the times we go to the bathroom without running water? Shouldn’t this do something to counteract the fewer times water is on?”