Urinary incontinence in pregnancy can appear as early as the first trimester. The daily volume of urine rises then, as does how often you pass it. The capacity of the bladder also falls. Women whose pelvic floor muscles are weakened may therefore have trouble holding urine at an early stage of pregnancy.
Incontinence is most common, however, in the third trimester, when the enlarged uterus presses on the bladder. Holding urine becomes harder, because the baby pushing outwards can press on the bladder and produce a sudden need to pass urine. By this stage the bladder has little room left, so even filling it a little produces a strong urge.
This is why it matters to do pelvic floor training correctly throughout pregnancy (up to weeks 37-38), to stop those muscles being overstretched. Doing everyday tasks correctly matters just as much - done badly, they can stretch and overload this group of muscles.
Therapy
- Assessment of pelvic floor muscle function
- Learning correct posture for passing urine and opening the bowels
- Pelvic floor training
- Re-learning everyday habits
- Learning to work with the breath