How Female Runners Can Overcome Urinary Incontinence Challenges

Many female runners experience incontinence, but it doesn’t have to hold you back from enjoying your runs. This guide explores practical solutions—from pelvic floor exercises and lifestyle adjustments to specialized products. Learn how to manage incontinence effectively to stay active, confident, focused on your performance and keep running.

Why do Women have Urinary Incontinence When They Run?

Suppose you’re a female runner or athlete experiencing urinary leaks while running. In that case, you may have Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI), which is an involuntary loss of bladder control when you run, cough, laugh, sneeze or do any other movements which place additional pressure on the bladder. Stress Incontinence is the most common type of incontinence affecting runners.

It is generally assumed that athletic and active people must have a strong pelvic floor, given their overall level of fitness and strength. However, urinary incontinence is prevalent in runners, especially long-distance and competitive runners, due to the impact of hitting the ground hard, which can weaken the pelvic floor muscles and connective tissue that supports the bladder.

With 1 in 3 women experiencing some form of urinary incontinence in the USA, you’re not alone if this is affecting you.

Does Running Cause Urinary Incontinence?

There are many causes of incontinence, and while running doesn’t necessarily cause incontinence, it can contribute to pelvic floor weakness. Common causes of stress urinary incontinence include life stages such as pregnancy and childbirth, menopause, and aging in general. Obesity and rapid weight gain, along with pelvic and prostate surgeries, can also be triggers.

When we engage in intense abdominal exercise or vigorous training, we put additional pressure on the pelvic floor muscles, which can deteriorate the muscle tone over time. This may manifest as leakage while out and about running or an increased need for toilet stops mid-run.

If you’re a competitive runner, urinary incontinence (bladder leaks) may affect your sports performance and times, which can be frustrating.

How To Stop Urinary Incontinence When Running

The great news is that, like any muscle in the body, the pelvic floor can be strengthened with exercise. The benefits of pelvic floor strengthening for runners extend beyond just managing urinary leaks.

Core strength is vital for great sports or exercise performance. It forms the foundation for all movement, balance, stability, and flexibility. While we tend to factor core-strengthening activities into our exercise regimes, we often forget to consider the pelvic floor. Almost every exercise or physical activity affects or utilizes the pelvic floor, so it’s important to fully understand it to improve your sports and exercise performance.

"When we think of the core, we often think of the superficial core, i.e. the abdominals or ‘washboard stomach’ muscles. However, genuine core strength comes from working the muscles underneath. I refer to this all-important inner core unit as the ‘3D core” - Jane Wake, Pilates Instructor and Pelvic Floor Expert."
 

This 3D core that Jane Wake refers to above is made up of:

• The deep abdominal muscles at the sides (Transversus Abdominals)

• The stabilising spinal muscles which run up our back (Multifidus)

• The Diaphragm or ‘breathing muscle’

• The Pelvic Floor muscles

Strengthening your entire core can reduce the risk of injuries while exercising or competing. A weak pelvic floor can hinder your ability to anticipate and prepare for accidents, resulting in significant pain & injury.

Gynesis: Urinary Incontinence Solution For Runners

Gynesis pelvic floor trainer shorts help women take control of their pelvic health with a simple, effective, external, and accessible solution.

You’ve probably heard of Kegel exercises before – they’re those really important movements of tightening your pelvic floor muscles as if you’re trying to pick up a blueberry. But not all women get them right – and some forget to do them. And 50% of women cannot do a Kegel correctly.

Luckily, Gynesis can help with that (pending FDA approval). Gynesis ensures that you do your Kegel exercises correctly—the smart shorts do them for you, giving you 180 perfect Kegels in just 30 minutes. All you need to do is slip them on for 30 minutes a day, five days a week—and that’s it! 87% of women who use Gynesis are leak-free in 12 weeks or less, and 90% of women share that Gynesis has significantly improved their quality of life.

Find out more about how Gynesis works.

Say goodbye to temporary fixes and hello to lasting relief from urinary incontinence with Gynesis.