3. Why can’t I control my bladder?

Don’t stress. According to the National Association for Continence, stress urinary incontinence (SUI), a condition that causes you to leak small amounts of urine due to physical pressure from coughing, laughing, lifting, running, and other similar activities, about 18 million women are affected.

A weakening between your bladder and urethra (the little tube you pee out of) is usually the reason for the leakage. Usually, women who’ve stretched their pelvic-floor muscles during childbirth are the most afflicted, especially if they had a large baby or pushed for for a few hours.  Also,  just being female is a risk factor, whether or not you ever give birth especially if you have weak pelvic muscles.

The good news about this embarrassing condition is that the treatment is simple and effective. Pelvic-floor exercises, which tone and strengthen the muscles around the bladder and vagina, have been shown to help most women stop leaks in just a few months.