‘If you wee yourself, you just rock on’: is incontinence inevitable for women who lift heavy?

One study found athletes were three times as likely to leak as women who did little or no exercise. But why does this happen – and can you prevent it?

On a wall in a gym in south London, someone has written: “PB [personal best] with a bit of wee.” Who could have written it? A runner? A woman doing CrossFit who has been jumping rope? A powerlifter? Evidence shows that all these activities can trigger higher rates of urinary incontinence (UI) in women than other activities. (Men’s anatomy is different, so they are less prone to the problem.)

“Women pee. In my gym you see it all the time,” says Emily Westray, a 27-year-old civil servant in Sheffield who can bench press 75kg, deadlift 130kg and squat 115kg, while only weighing 57kg herself. She used to be a diver and gymnast and got into powerlifting two years ago. At first, she had no problem. And according to usual preconceptions, she shouldn’t have. She’s young and has never had children. Incontinence is supposed to affect women who have gone through childbirth, and the middle-aged and menopausal.

Topics

This Rule Helps You Never Negotiate Against Yourself

How to maintain your leverage during negotiations.
Inc. - Jan. 12
‘You don’t just go and buy a country’: Greenland plunged into geopolitical storm

Residents of Nuuk do not want to be part of the US but welcome a discussion of their sovereignty
Financial Times - Jan. 12
My health care is under attack — but not from who you think

America's veterans have We’ve earned the basic dignity of deciding where our medical care comes from, whether that upsets the status quo in Washington or not.
The Hill - Jan. 11
Are you making it in this economy, or just getting by? These two factors can determine your status.

The last four years ushered in a divided economy that left some Americans “clobbered” and others racing ahead. Two factors — homeownership and stock ownership — determined the difference.
MarketWatch - Jan. 10
How Wildfire Smoke Affects Your Health—and How You Can Protect Yourself

Exposure to smoke is dangerous regardless of your health status, so follow these steps to limit the risk.
Wired - Jan. 10
Take Part in Veganuary and You Might See Yourself Differently

The ritual of giving up animal products for a month leads participants to see both meat and themselves in a different way, and could have lasting effects on people’s diets.
Wired - Jan. 4
‘What have we here?’: how asking yourself a simple question can transform the way you think about your life

Forget generic self-help advice and focus instead on the unique set of hang-ups, character traits and personal circumstances that stop you living your best life. One problem with trying to improve ...
The Guardian - Jan. 4
‘Biceps curls while you cook!’ 101 ways to get healthier and happier – in just five minutes

Open all your windows! Sing a song! Have a hot chocolate! Guardian writers and readers reveal simple ways to lift your mood in 300 seconds or fewer. 1. Pay one person who isn’t expecting it a ...
The Guardian - Jan. 1

‘If you wee yourself, you just rock on’: is incontinence inevitable for women who lift heavy?

Topics

Related

This Rule Helps You Never Negotiate Against Yourself

‘You don’t just go and buy a country’: Greenland plunged into geopolitical storm

My health care is under attack — but not from who you think

Are you making it in this economy, or just getting by? These two factors can determine your status.

How Wildfire Smoke Affects Your Health—and How You Can Protect Yourself

Take Part in Veganuary and You Might See Yourself Differently

‘What have we here?’: how asking yourself a simple question can transform the way you think about your life

‘Biceps curls while you cook!’ 101 ways to get healthier and happier – in just five minutes

More from The Guardian

Bishop calls on Trump to ‘have mercy’ on migrants and LGBTQ+ people

Zelenskyy says Russia-Ukraine peace deal would require 200,000 allied troops

Qatari, US and Egyptian negotiators set up Cairo hub to shore up Gaza ceasefire

‘The gesture speaks for itself’: Germans respond to Musk’s apparent Nazi salute

Dozens dead as people jump from windows to escape fire at Turkish ski resort hotel

More in World

Israel’s top general resigns over Oct. 7 failures, adding to pressure on Netanyahu

'A living hell': Sudanese women face rape and abuse in Libya

Bishop calls on Trump to ‘have mercy’ on migrants and LGBTQ+ people

Ichiro Suzuki becomes first Japanese player elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame

Colombians flee to Venezuela as clashes between rebel groups escalate in coca-rich border region