Toilet trouble
Around half a million UK teenagers have a bladder or bowel condition.
Some people, wetting or dribbling of urine during the day, bedwetting, constipation or soiling may have been a problem throughout childhood. Some people try very hard to hide the problem, or may have faced bullying.
You can ask for help – and there are things you can do to help improve things.
Handy to know
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Teenage girls should drink about 1.5 – 2.5 litres of water-based drinks a day. Teenage boys should drink about 2 - 3 litres. This keeps your wee diluted and the colour of straw. Concentrated urine can irritate the bladder's lining and make wetting problems worse.
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Water-based drinks keep poo soft, and help prevent constipation, soiling and urinary tract infections. Girls should always wipe from front to back in one go.
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Go to the toilet as soon as you feel the need. Healthy bowel movements are soft and easy to pass, ranging from four times a week to three times a day. Less often could mean you're constipated – which can be painful.
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Avoiding going for a poo makes things worse by causing a build-up. Fresh, watery poo may then leak around the lump of hard poo into your underwear.
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If you avoid going for a long time, the build-up continues and your rectum may stretch and take a while to shrink back to its usual size. This makes it harder for your body to sense when you need to go.
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Normal healthy urine habit is between six and eight straw-coloured wees a day.
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You'll need more water during physical activities, or if it's hot. Fizzy or caffeinated drinks can make symptoms worse.
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Eat a balanced diet, with lots of fruit, vegetables, and cereals.
Bedwetting
Bedwetting happens when the message saying ‘I need to wee’ doesn’t get from your bladder to your brain. There are lots of reasons this might happen:
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Constipation: A full bowel puts pressure on your bladder. To avoid constipation, eat a varied diet and drink plenty of water.
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Overactive bladder: This is when your bladder gets ‘twitchy’ and tells your brain to empty before it’s full.
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Not enough vasopressin: This hormone tells your kidneys to make less wee at night. Your doctor can give medication for this.
If you’re worried, speak to your school nurse or GP.
