Whether You Really Need to Pee After Sex, According to Science - Lifehacker

If you person a vagina, you’ve astir apt been told that it’s an absolute must to pee instantly aft having enactment to forestall urinary tract infections (UTIs). But it turns retired determination isn’t a batch of grounds to enactment this idea. There is shockingly small probe connected the question of whether this oft-repeated proposal really works. One study successful a diary called Evidence Based Practice recovered that, overall, it doesn’t look to marque a difference. But that’s conscionable 1 study, and the results didn’t constituent powerfully successful either direction.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) does not see peeing aft enactment successful its tips for preventing UTIs. Here’s what they do recommend:

• Wash the tegument astir the anus and the genital area.
• Drink plentifulness of fluids (including water) to flush bacteria retired of your urinary system.
• Empty your bladder arsenic soon arsenic you consciousness the impulse oregon astir each 2 to 3 hours.

They constituent retired that factors similar being pregnant, having diabetes, oregon going done menopause tin summation your hazard of contracting a UTI. And immoderate radical conscionable look to beryllium much prone to them: If you’ve had UTIs before, your chances of getting 1 again are higher than idiosyncratic who has ne'er had one.

That said, if you’ve been peeing aft sex, there’s nary request to discontinue that habit. While there’s nary conclusive grounds that it helps, there’s besides nary conclusive grounds that it hurts—or adjacent that it’s useless.

Does peeing aft enactment forestall gestation oregon STIs?

While we’re astatine it, I’d similar to notation 2 myths that person gotten mixed up successful the full peeing-after-sex advice. Peeing aft enactment is not apt to forestall pregnancy, oregon to forestall sexually transmitted infections.

When it comes to preventing pregnancy, sperm spell into the vagina, not the urethra. These 2 holes are adjacent to each other, but they are not the aforesaid thing, and the pee that leaves your urethra has nary power connected what’s going connected successful your vagina, cervix, oregon uterus. People who are trying to go large whitethorn person heard the proposal to hold urinating for astatine slightest a abbreviated clip aft having enactment to fto gravity assistance their chances successful conceiving—but the American Society for Reproductive Medicine notes that “this content has nary technological foundation.”

Urinating aft enactment has not been recovered to person a important effect connected your hazard of contracting HIV, chlamydia, herpes, oregon immoderate different sexually transmitted infection. To forestall STIs, ACOG recommends utilizing condoms, being alert of the accrued hazard of anal enactment oregon different acts that tin effect successful breaking the skin, and making definite to get vaccinated against HPV and hepatitis B, some of which tin beryllium transmitted sexually.