Doctors issue warning against peeing in the shower

I don't think there's one person who hasn't peed in the shower at least once - whether they have the balls to admit it is a different story. But it turns out the habit can actually be really bad for you, according to doctors.

Whether it's about 'saving water' or just being a bit lazy, there's no doubt a tonne of people use the shower as the perfect opportunity to have a cheeky wee.

And while it may seem all fine and dandy, there are a number of reasons why you should probably stop doing it.

Urogynaecologist Dr Teresa Irwin took to TikTok to warn her followers about the habit, saying: "You need to stop peeing in the shower."

@dr.teresa.irwin/TikTok

"You don't want to do it all the time because what happens is every time you hear the sound of water your bladder is going to want to pee - because it's used to hearing the sound of the water in the shower," she explained.

"So whenever you're washing your hands, washing the dishes, your bladder is going to be salivating so to speak because it wants to go and pee."

Pelvic floor therapist Dr Alicia Jeffrey-Thomas echoed this in her own video, highlighting that the habit can have other big consequences down the line.

TikTok/@thepelvicdancefloor

Explaining why we shouldn't pee in the shower, she said: "If you pee in the shower or turn on the faucet or turn on the shower and then sit on the toilet to pee while the water is running, you're creating an association in your brain between the sound of running water and having to pee.

"Combo that with pelvic floor dysfunction, either now or down the line and that's gonna potentially lead to some leak issues when you hear running water outside of the shower.

"Unfortunately, those of us that were assigned female at birth and have that anatomy, we're not designed to pee standing up... your pelvic floor isn't going to be relaxing properly meaning that we're not going to be emptying our bladder super well."

Leaving people with some advice, she added: "Try and pee before you even turn on the shower or water and if you get the urge while you're in the shower, try to ignore it."

Safe to say, reactions to the revelation were strong and many people rushed to defend the habit in the comments.

Pexels

One wrote: "I'm just tryna save water it's not that deep."

Another asked: "But what about all the times we go to the bathroom without running water? Shouldn't this do something to counteract the fewer times water is on?"

Meanwhile, a third said: "I'm an ocean girl and I've peed while swimming my entire childhood and now I feel the urge every time I touch water. I can't get rid of it."

Each to their own then, I guess. But you've been warned...

Topics: Health, TikTok, Science

Chloe Rowland

Chloe Rowland is a Sub Editor and Journalist at LADbible Group. She graduated from The University of Salford with a BA Multimedia Journalism degree in 2019 but has continued to use the fact she has a Blue Peter badge as her biggest flex.