Am I Leaking Urine or Discharge?
Uncover the reason you may be experiencing wet pants.
Bladder leakage is common and affects around 1 in 3 people. Many times leakage is the result of poor coordination in your core and pelvic muscles.
Leakage of urine happens because the pelvic floor muscles (the muscles that sit in the bottom of the pelvis) are either weak, or have too much pressure placed on them. Just you might experience pain when another muscle in our body has too much pressure placed on it, leakage is a sign that there is something in your body not doing its job.
Sometimes we are very conscious of when we leak, and other times we are not so sure.
One of the best examples of this occurs when leaking happens during exercise. Sometimes we are so focused on keeping up with the exercise class, or are focusing on what we should be doing, that we aren’t even paying attention until we notice our pants feel wet.
The two things that people try to differentiate between is “is this leakage, or discharge?” A few things can help you figure it out:
What point are you in your menstrual cycle? Typically vaginal discharge is more prevalent around mid cycle. So, if you at the beginning or end of your menstrual cycle, it may not be discharge.
Do the AZO test. If you are able (and don’t have any contraindications to taking the medication), taking AZO (an over the counter bladder analgesic) will help clue you into whether or not you are leaking or have discharge. AZO will turn your urine highlighter orange so if you leak, you’ll see bright orange, whereas if it is discharge, it will be clear or milky white.
Make sure you don’t wear dark underwear! Wearing white, or very light underwear will sometimes help you see the color of the fluid that you are leaking.
When is it happening? Leakage is more likely to happen when pressure is placed on the pelvic floor. This happens during times like coughing, sneezing, squatting, and higher impact activities like exercise and running. If you are feeling the wet sensation while you are simply sitting or standing still, but at no other time, it may not be urinary leakage.
If it is discharge, there isn’t much that can be done about it- wearing a pantyliner can help absorb the discharge. However if it is urine, please see a pelvic floor PT! They can help you identify the movements that are provocative and help figure out a plan to get you to stop leaking!
