Home Live Health and Wellness Gals: How to Pee for Better Health (Yep, You Can Stand Up...

Gals: How to Pee for Better Health (Yep, You Can Stand Up Too)

424551
131

Everyone has heard the saying “You are what you eat.” With sodas, alcohol and excessive coffee drinking, we often forget that we are what we drink too. Urine is the liquid waste from what we drink throughout the day.

Everything else is stored in our bodies. Our urine can tell us a lot about how our bodies are reacting to the things we consume each day and acts like a sort of warning system to alert us when there are any problems.

The color of both our urine and our feces can tell us how healthy or unhealthy we really are. For instance, when our pee is dark yellow, orange or honey-colored, we should be consuming more water. Although foam or fizz is normal, if your pee is frequently foamy it can be a sign of excess protein consumption or kidney disease.

Gut bacteria, food dyes, medications and rare genetic disorders can cause your pee to turn green or blue. If this continues, see a doctor as a precaution. If your pee is occasionally red or pink in hue, it could be because you ate blueberries, rhubarb or beets. If you haven’t eaten any of these, and you have red or pink pee, then see a doctor to check for kidney disease, a urinary tract infection or a tumor.

The scent of your pee is also indicative of good health. We all know how pee can smell. Although the scent isn’t always pleasant, if you have either a sweet, musty or strong odor, this can be a sign of major problems. A strong odor can indicate a urinary tract infection.

A sweet smell can mean that you have diabetes. Some metabolic disorders can cause a musty urine scent. Also, the frequency with which you urinate can indicate a problem. If you have spotting or a frequent need to urinate, you might have incontinence or an overactive bladder. Increased frequency and urgency to pee can also be signs of diabetes, an infection, or kidney stones in women. See a doctor if you notice any of those scents.

Common problems for females and how to fix them

According to Dr. Yim Lik, a urogynaecologist at Mercy Hospital for Women in Melbourne, Australia, women’s bladders shrink over time from about 500 or 600 milliliters at the age of 30 to about 300 milliliters at age 80. Height also plays a role in bladder size. For instance, a five-foot-tall woman will have a smaller bladder than a six-foot-tall woman.

A common problem that occurs as we age is the inability to control when we have to go. As our bladders shrink, so does the length of time between visits to the bathroom. We can also experience urinary incontinence, which means it might be more difficult to control when and how you pee.

This can manifest in a few forms. Stress incontinence can increase the likelihood of peeing when you cough or sneeze, while an overactive bladder can cause you to go more often. Although this is more likely in older women, 20 to 30 percent of women in their twenties experience this. Men may also experience urinary incontinence, but it is more common in women.

Medications, pads and surgery are available for people suffering with incontinence. Behavioral therapy is also available for those dealing with incontinence as a result of stress. Thankfully, public awareness of this problem, in younger and older women alike, has grown due to advertisements for feminine products of this nature. There are now many products for a variety of urinary needs to help reduce the embarrassment of pee problems.

Two products that are common treatments for urinary problems are over-the-counter urinary tract infection (UTI) tests and UTI treatments in cream, pill and suppository forms. Urinary tract infections are also more common in women because the urethra is shorter in women, allowing it to come into contact with bacteria more frequently.

Symptoms are similar to kidney infections, bladder infections and dehydration, but if you have multiple symptoms, you should either buy a test or see your doctor. Symptoms include burning urination, increased frequency in bathroom breaks, pain just below the rib cage, feeling like you can’t empty your bladder, fever and leaking urine, or incontinence.

Kidney infections are also particularly common in women and symptoms mirror those of a UTI. If your UTI test comes back negative, see a doctor to make sure you don’t have a kidney infection. Although recurring kidney infections should be treated by a doctor, you can alleviate symptoms by avoiding coffee and alcohol, drinking more water, drinking cranberry juice, applying a heating pad when pain is felt, wearing soft cotton, and not holding your pee.

Can girls really pee standing up?

I know, it sounds bizarre, right? Guys can pee sitting down, but few people realize that girls can actually stand up while doing their business. If you’re interested, there are many devices on the market to help you, including Go-Girl, Sani-Fem Freshette, pStyle, Whiz Freedom, Shewee and the Sheenis — and yes, the last one is a real product. All of these devices are the shape of a funnel to help girls have a stream that points away from them. More surprisingly, you can actually recreate that stream without any device.

It’s easier to do with a skirt, but you will have to remove your panties before attempting this. First, bend your knees slightly, arch your back and thrust forward. Use your fingers to part your inner labia to create a controllable stream. Try not to minimize pauses.

Push out the last bit instead of letting it drip. Unlike the devices, this technique helps you pee standing up in a way that minimizes germs, is effective, and reduces the risk of coming into contact with your own urine. If you are new to this, then practice when hovering over a toilet so you don’t get messy. Once you have the hang of it, you will be able to use this trick on camping trips without the need for a gross porta potty.

women peePee better for better health

Healthy pee is indicative of good health. To reduce your risk of diseases, infections and complications, check your pee regularly. Ensure that you have an unscented, colorless pee stream for good health. Drink plenty of water and reduce your consumption of alcohol, coffee and soda. Holding your bladder is not good for your health either and can cause many problems, so don’t be ashamed to make a run to the bathroom. Go when you need to go and see your doctor if you notice any changes in frequency, urgency, color or scent.

If you pee standing up, holding your inner labia is less messy and reduces the risk of spreading germs compared to using a device. When peeing sitting down, be gentle and make sure you thoroughly clean your vaginal area so you don’t have embarrassing spots on your panties or bacterial buildup on your vagina.

Despite us learning how to wipe when potty-training, many of us forget to wipe front-to-back. According to Alyssa Dweck, M.D. and ob-gyn and author of V is for Vagina, wiping back-to-front can cause rectal bacteria to come into contact with our sensitive lady parts, which can cause infections.

Also, over-wiping can cause irritation, inflammation and itching. If you feel the need to over-wipe, it can be a sign that you still have more pee in your bladder or that you need to increase your water and fiber intake. According to Anish Sheth, M.D., a gastroenterologist and author of What’s Your Poo Telling You?, you should only need to wipe roughly two times. So be sensitive to your lady bits and keep them clean, but not overly clean. In fact, using wipes, sprays and lotions can irritate the skin as well and throw off your pH balance, leading to irritation and infections.

Your pee can tell you a lot about your health, so pay attention, pee regularly, don’t over-wipe, wipe correctly, or pee standing up, and drink plenty of water.

Have you ever tried peeing standing up? Did you use a device or do it organically, and which do you prefer? Have you ever had urinary problems? What did you do to solve it? Leave us a comment below. We’d love to read about your story.

—Nicole Manuel

Nicole Manuel, CPC is a certified life coach with a degree in economics and over five years of professional writing experience. Her goal is to help others discover ways to incorporate sustainable solutions that can improve their health and well-being on a budget.

Sources:
http://www.womenshealthandfitness.com.au/health-beauty/health-advice/1253-peeing-patterns-what-s-normal
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/is-it-bad-to-hold-your-pee
http://www.everydayhealth.com/columns/health-answers/what-your-pee-is-telling-you
http://health.clevelandclinic.org/2013/10/what-the-color-of-your-urine-says-about-you-infographic
http://www.webmd.com/urinary-incontinence-oab/features/the-truth-about-urine
http://www.webmd.com/urinary-incontinence-oab/tc/urinary-problems-and-injuries-age-12-and-older-topic-overview
http://www.webmd.com/urinary-incontinence-oab/features/incontinence-womans-little-secret
http://familydoctor.org/familydoctor/en/health-tools/search-by-symptom/urination-problems.html
http://travellingtwo.com/resources/peeing
http://www.shape.com/lifestyle/mind-and-body/5-bathroom-mistakes-you-dont-know-youre-making
http://www.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2011/09/02/devices-that-will-help-women-pee-standing-up
http://www.wikihow.com/Pee-Standing-up-Without-a-Device

131 COMMENTS

  1. What a shame there isn’t any comments of a femal that has learnt to pee standing up. I don’t really care to pee standing up because I’m sure it will be very messy to pass the learning period to be able to do this. I’m not sure if I could cope with that messy period.

  2. Several moons ago I had a brain operation that left me incontinent. The medical profession offered me weird contraptions and crazy exercises. Non of which seemed right so I took matters in hand and masturbated. A pleasurable experience with plenty of exercises. Within a short period of time the problem was solved. To this day I still continue my style of treatment…no leaks, no spills just smiles.

  3. Well, I’ve tried the pStyle. It does take practice, at first. But I was stuck hiking once when I literally was in physical pain from holding it, and no place to go. No privacy to squat. This would have been a real help ten. But even if you are not out in the sticks, what about crowded events with filthy port-a-potties? Or just nasty regular toilets at public places? If you could not have to sit on that, wouldn’t it be best? I don’t always use this, but there are times it is the best option.

  4. because I have problems getting up off the toilet, I adopted (years ago) a practice of peeing into a container then tipping the contents into the toilet. It means that I am standing up to pee, and this is much more comfortable than sitting down or squatting. I also have a PEESHE which is a spout into which I can pee when out, especially when travelling. It’s not 100% reliable, as it does tend to be too small in the spout for the flow, but I manage reasonably well, and it certainly helps to avoid public toilets

  5. This is interesting that it’s just now catching up with the west. African women have always done this and without the use of any devices. Majority pee standing up with their feet widely spread apart. I prefer squaring. A good article.

  6. I have given this method some thought and am thinking that maybe I should try it when I am in the shower, that way there will be no mess and it might be easier to get the hang of doing it this way.

  7. French public toilets have cubical shaped so that stand with feet either side of drain hole where the urine goes down, I have always thought these were better than ones where you were expected to sit on a seat that many others had used before you and even in British public toilets I never sit on the seat. No need for special equipment just money making.

  8. Growing up on a ranch we were often far from the restroom, my mother taught me to stand to pee. I have been doing it all my life and have no difficulty doing it. Very common in rural states.

  9. Most people in Africa and Middle Eastern countries pee squatting, not standing. The medical journals states that one of the possible causes for prostate cancer being so prevalent in the west is because western men stand erect while peeing. This is because the bladder is not being emptied when one stands erect, I question the reasoning behind encouraging women to stand, when sitting is better; men should be encouraged to sit or squat. if one does not want to touch the seat then squatting is okay; however, I would suggest being sure to clean the seat afterwards because no one else wants to sit on another’s pee either.

  10. There are few things as disgusting as a toilet seat and floor all pissed up because some woman squatted and didn’t know how or didn’t clean up. Best thing in my opinion is sitting after placing down a paper moisture guard, such as provided in some restrooms. Interestingly, I have never seen such provided in a doctor’s restroom for patients, so always lay down toilet paper myself.

  11. no need for a device, use your fingers and stick out your body and you can aim high… still a trickle at the end… working on that..

  12. ya, no papers available in Canada, either. I may not have broken skin down there, but I still don’t want to sit on someone else’s sweat or urine. 🙁

  13. Fantastic beat ! I would like to apprentice while you amend your web site, how could i subscribe for a blog site? The account helped me a acceptable deal. I had been a little bit acquainted of this your broadcast offered bright clear concept

  14. Thank you for your sharing. I am worried that I lack creative ideas. It is your article that makes me full of hope. Thank you. But, I have a question, can you help me?

  15. Thank you for your sharing. I am worried that I lack creative ideas. It is your article that makes me full of hope. Thank you. But, I have a question, can you help me?

  16. I don’t think the title of your article matches the content lol. Just kidding, mainly because I had some doubts after reading the article.

  17. I don’t think the title of your article matches the content lol. Just kidding, mainly because I had some doubts after reading the article.

  18. Thank you for your sharing. I am worried that I lack creative ideas. It is your article that makes me full of hope. Thank you. But, I have a question, can you help me?

  19. I don’t think the title of your article matches the content lol. Just kidding, mainly because I had some doubts after reading the article.

  20. I don’t think the title of your article matches the content lol. Just kidding, mainly because I had some doubts after reading the article.

  21. Thank you for your sharing. I am worried that I lack creative ideas. It is your article that makes me full of hope. Thank you. But, I have a question, can you help me?

  22. Greetings from Idaho! I’m bored to death at work so I decided to browse your
    blog on my iphone during lunch break. I really like the info you present here and
    can’t wait to take a look when I get home.
    I’m shocked at how fast your blog loaded on my mobile ..
    I’m not even using WIFI, just 3G .. Anyhow, superb blog!

  23. I’m pretty pleased to find this page. I want
    to to thank you for ones time for this fantastic read!!
    I definitely loved every part of it and i also have you
    book-marked to check out new information in your web site.

  24. Howdy! I know this is sort of off-topic but I had to ask.
    Does operating a well-established blog such as yours take a
    large amount of work? I’m brand new to operating a blog but
    I do write in my diary daily. I’d like to start a blog so I will be able to share my own experience and feelings online.
    Please let me know if you have any recommendations or tips for new aspiring blog owners.
    Appreciate it!

  25. Its like you read my mind! You appear to know so much about this, like you wrote the book in it or something.

    I think that you can do with some pics to drive
    the message home a little bit, but other than that, this
    is great blog. A fantastic read. I will certainly be back.

  26. Woah! I’m really loving the template/theme of this blog.
    It’s simple, yet effective. A lot of times it’s very hard
    to get that “perfect balance” between usability and appearance.
    I must say that you’ve done a very good job with this.
    Also, the blog loads very quick for me on Chrome. Excellent Blog!

  27. Today, I went to the beach with my kids. I found a sea shell and
    gave it to my 4 year old daughter and said “You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear.” She
    placed the shell to her ear and screamed. There was
    a hermit crab inside and it pinched her ear. She never
    wants to go back! LoL I know this is completely
    off topic but I had to tell someone!

  28. Have you ever thought about including a little bit more than just
    your articles? I mean, what you say is valuable and all.
    Nevertheless imagine if you added some great pictures or video clips to give your posts more, “pop”!

    Your content is excellent but with images and video clips, this blog could undeniably
    be one of the greatest in its field. Amazing blog!

  29. I’ve been surfing online more than 2 hours
    today, yet I never found any interesting article like yours.
    It is pretty worth enough for me. In my opinion, if all web owners and bloggers made good
    content as you did, the web will be a lot more useful than ever before.

  30. Hi there! Do you know if they make any plugins to assist with SEO?
    I’m trying to get my blog to rank for some targeted keywords but
    I’m not seeing very good gains. If you know of any please share.
    Appreciate it!

  31. I’m truly enjoying the design and layout of your website.
    It’s a very easy on the eyes which makes it much more pleasant for me to come here
    and visit more often. Did you hire out a designer to create your
    theme? Superb work!

  32. Hi there, I discovered your blog by means of Google while
    looking for a similar matter, your site got here
    up, it looks great. I’ve bookmarked it in my google bookmarks.

    Hi there, just become alert to your blog through Google, and located that it’s truly informative.
    I am gonna watch out for brussels. I will be grateful in the event you continue this in future.

    Lots of people will likely be benefited from your writing.
    Cheers!

  33. I must thank you for the efforts you have put in writing this site.
    I am hoping to view the same high-grade content from you later on as well.
    In fact, your creative writing abilities has motivated me to
    get my very own blog now 😉

  34. Somebody essentially help to make severely articles I’d state.
    This is the very first time I frequented your website page and
    thus far? I surprised with the analysis you made to make this
    actual publish extraordinary. Great process!

  35. Hey There. I found your weblog the use of msn. This is
    a very smartly written article. I will make sure to bookmark it and
    come back to learn more of your helpful info.
    Thanks for the post. I’ll definitely comeback.

  36. Do you have a spam issue on this website; I also am a blogger, and I was wanting to know your situation; many of us have created
    some nice practices and we are looking to trade techniques with others,
    why not shoot me an email if interested.

  37. Can I simply say what a relief to uncover somebody that genuinely understands
    what they’re talking about online. You definitely understand how to bring a problem to light and make it important.

    More people have to read this and understand this side of the story.

    I was surprised that you are not more popular because you certainly have the gift.

  38. I’ve been surfing online more than 4 hours today, yet I never found any interesting article like yours.
    It’s pretty worth enough for me. Personally, if all site
    owners and bloggers made good content as you did, the net will
    be much more useful than ever before.

  39. Have you ever thought about adding a little bit more than just your articles?
    I mean, what you say is important and all. But think of if you added some great visuals or videos to give your posts more, “pop”!
    Your content is excellent but with pics and
    videos, this blog could undeniably be one of the greatest in its
    niche. Amazing blog!

  40. I absolutely love your blog and find almost all of your post’s to
    be precisely what I’m looking for. Do you offer guest writers to write content to suit your needs?
    I wouldn’t mind composing a post or elaborating on most of the subjects you
    write related to here. Again, awesome website!

  41. I’m truly enjoying the design and layout of your site. It’s
    a very easy on the eyes which makes it much more enjoyable for me to come
    here and visit more often. Did you hire out a developer to create your theme?

    Fantastic work!

  42. Pretty nice post. I just stumbled upon your weblog and wished to say that I have
    really enjoyed browsing your blog posts. In any case I will be subscribing to your feed
    and I hope you write again soon!

  43. Unquestionably imagine that that you said. Your favorite
    justification appeared to be on the web the simplest thing to keep in mind
    of. I say to you, I certainly get annoyed whilst other folks think about issues that
    they plainly don’t recognise about. You controlled to hit the nail upon the top
    as well as outlined out the whole thing with no need side effect , folks
    could take a signal. Will likely be back to get more. Thank you

  44. I’ve been exploring for a little for any high
    quality articles or weblog posts on this kind of house
    . Exploring in Yahoo I finally stumbled upon this site.
    Studying this info So i am satisfied to convey that I have a very excellent
    uncanny feeling I found out just what I needed. I such a lot no doubt will make sure to don?t forget
    this website and provides it a glance on a constant basis.

  45. whoah this weblog is wonderful i love studying your articles.
    Stay up the good work! You know, lots of individuals are looking round for this information,
    you can help them greatly.

  46. Definitely imagine that that you stated. Your favourite reason appeared to be at
    the web the easiest factor to take into accout of.
    I say to you, I definitely get irked whilst people consider
    concerns that they just do not understand about.

    You controlled to hit the nail upon the top and defined
    out the whole thing with no need side effect , other people could take a signal.
    Will likely be back to get more. Thank you

  47. Hey There. I discovered your weblog the use of msn. That is a very smartly
    written article. I’ll make sure to bookmark it and return to read
    extra of your useful info. Thanks for the post. I will definitely comeback.

  48. Do you mind if I quote a couple of your posts as long as I provide credit and sources back to your website?
    My website is in the very same area of interest as yours and
    my users would definitely benefit from a lot of the information you provide here.
    Please let me know if this ok with you. Appreciate it!

  49. Wow, superb blog structure! How lengthy have you ever been blogging for?
    you made blogging glance easy. The entire look of your website is excellent,
    let alone the content material!

  50. Wow that was odd. I just wrote an very long comment but after I clicked submit my
    comment didn’t show up. Grrrr… well I’m not
    writing all that over again. Regardless, just wanted to say great blog!

  51. What i do not understood is in reality how you are not really much more smartly-liked than you might be now.
    You’re so intelligent. You recognize thus significantly in terms of this subject, produced me individually imagine it from so many various angles.
    Its like men and women don’t seem to be involved unless it is one thing to do with Girl
    gaga! Your individual stuffs great. Always maintain it up!

  52. Fantastic beat ! I wish to apprentice while you amend your
    website, how could i subscribe for a blog website?
    The account helped me a acceptable deal. I had been a little bit acquainted of this your broadcast provided
    bright clear concept

  53. Howdy just wanted to give you a quick heads up.

    The text in your article seem to be running off the screen in Firefox.
    I’m not sure if this is a formatting issue or
    something to do with browser compatibility but I figured I’d post
    to let you know. The design and style look great though!
    Hope you get the issue solved soon. Cheers

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here