I'm a doctor – here's 3 ways you're peeing WRONG & why you need to do it cowboy style | The Sun

A WOMEN’S health expert has revealed several ways you could be peeing wrong.

Dr Teresa Irwin, from the US, nicknamed herself the "vaginacologist" due to her expertise in female pelvic dysfunctions.

She used to be a surgeon for severe bladder and vaginal dysfunctions before she realised she could educate women on preventing them in the first place.

The doctor has 84,000 followers on TikTok (@dr.teresa.irwin) and her recent video has racked up 671,000 views and 122,000 likes.

In the clip, Dr Irwin can be seen dancing with her god daughter Isabel Herrera, while the tips for vaginal health come up on the screen.

She urges women to drink enough water, avoid scented products, ensure to empty the bladder fully and do pelvic floor muscle exercises regularly.

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When it comes to bladder health, Dr Irwin reveals how women can prevent any issues that can become debilitating.

How you're peeing wrong

1. Peeing sitting upright

According to Dr Irwin, there is a right and wrong way to pee.

"Many women are taught to pee by sitting straight up on the toilet, which causes some of the urine to stay in the bladder,” she said.

"The most popular position to prevent this issue I call the cowboy position.

"You simply lean forward to put your elbows above your kneecaps (making sure to keep your feet level on the ground."

2. Delaying going, or going to often

Dr Irwin said don’t put off going on toilet breaks.

"If you wait too long to go to the restroom, you can unintentionally train your brain to ignore the bladder signals that help you know when you need to go,” she said.

In the same vein, going to the toilet too often – when you don’t really have an urge to go yet – can slowly make the bladder weaker.

“A healthy amount for a woman to pee is about four to seven times per day,” Dr Irwin said.

3. Rushing it

Dr Irwin also says to take a full minute to pee.

She said: "A minute may not seem like a long time but when I tell people to do this, it can seem like an eternity, but it’s not!

"Many women do not take the time to fully empty their bladder, when you feel in a rush to pee it can cause you to have a forceful stream which will put pressure on the surrounding muscles."

Protect your bladder health

Dr Irwin shared three other tips for priming pevlic health, all of which can prevent or improve bladder disorders.

Don’t irritate the bladder

Dr Irwin says to “avoid bladder irritants”. This would be particularly useful for those who have bladder issues such as not emptying properly.

Dr Irwin said: “Coffee, carbonated beverages, artificial sweeteners, and alcohol are known culprits of irritating your bladder, so, one easy behavioural change is to limit your consumption of bladder irritants!

"I’m not saying that you have to get rid of all of these drinks, I still drink my morning coffee, but the key is moderation and balancing with hydration.”

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Keep up the kegels

As a woman, you’ve likely heard about the importance of exercising the pelvic floor muscles, also called Kegel exercises.

Dr Irwin said: "I know that you have probably all heard the advice to 'do your kegels', but why?

"Your pelvic floor muscles line the interior of your pelvic bone; they act as a net to keep your reproductive and elimination organs in place.

"When the pelvic floor becomes weak, it can no longer hold those organs in place and it can lead to prolapse and other dysfunctions.”

Vaginal prolapse is when the vagina drops from its normal location in the body, and pelvic organ prolapse is when one or more of the organs in the pelvis slip down and bulge into the vagina.

"Hypopressives will also help, this is an uncommon but highly effective technique to strengthen the pelvic floor,” Dr Irwin said.

"It is a breathing exercise that helps strengthen your core to relieve pressure on your pelvic floor by learning to lift and support the weight of the organs through the supporting muscles."

Squeeze when you sneeze

Dr Irwin’s final tip is to “squeeze when you sneeze”. 

It “creates a contraction to counteract the pressure, strengthening your pelvic floor”, she said.

Some women may leak a little when they sneeze – or cough, laugh, run or lift something heavy.

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This is known as stress incontinence, and occurs when there is additional pressure in the abdominal area, and the pelvic floor muscles are not strong enough to keep urine in.

To prevent this from occurring, the trick is to keep the pelvic floor muscles strong.

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