How Overactive Bladder Might Affect Your Sex Life — and 4 Tips to Cope

What are ways to cope with overactive bladder during sexual activity?

If you often feel the urge to urinate during sex, here are some tips for how to manage your symptoms:

1. Empty your bladder before having sex. Sexual activity can press on the bladder in women or the prostate in men. If you are worried about overactive bladder during sex, make sure to go to the bathroom before you start.

2. Experiment with different positions. A new position may help put less pressure on your bladder or prostate.

3. Do Kegels regularly. Regular pelvic floor exercises may help both women and men lessen their symptoms of overactive bladder and incontinence. (And here is the right way to do Kegels.)

4. Talk about it. While overactive bladder symptoms can cause anxiety, talking about it with your sexual partner may help you feel less anxious.

If your overactive bladder symptoms are affecting your sex life on a regular basis, it’s important to seek help sooner rather than later. According to Dr. Romanzi, the earlier you get treatment, the more likely it is that you’ll have a strong response. Treatment may help reduce symptoms, including during sex.

“The urgency during sexual activity will [generally] reduce when the therapy for overactive bladder is successful,” she says.

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Written by:

Marisa Taylor Karas

Marisa Taylor Karas is a freelance journalist based in Brooklyn who has covered health, gender, and technology for 15 years. She previously worked at The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, and Al Jazeera America, among other publications, and also served as managing editor of the Mellon Foundation in New York City.

Reviewed by:

Mera Goodman, MD, FAAP

Mera Goodman, MD, FAAP, is a board-certified pediatrician. Prior to practicing medicine, she worked as a management consultant.

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