Why Some Women Feel Aroused When They Have To Pee

Feeling like you need to pee during sex or when you're close to reaching an orgasm is probably something you've experienced or heard about. But what about feeling aroused when you have a full bladder? You've unconsciously avoided going to the bathroom to relieve yourself while at a party (maybe the restrooms aren't the cleanest where you're at), and now you get the feeling that you're turned on. What is going on?

According to health experts, this confusing sensation is a lot more common than you think. It all has to do with how your anatomy is structured, particularly the clitoris, vagina, and urethra. According to sexologist and author Celeste Holbrook (via Shape), "A full bladder can push onto some of the more sensitive and arousing parts of the genitalia, such as the clitoris and its branches. Many women use stimulation in one or more of these areas to stimulate the others." 

Yes, your body knows when you need to pee, but a full bladder can also cause increased blood flow to your nether regions, which is another reason why some women (and men) can get turned on when they have to pee, shared board-certified urologist Dr. Aaron Spitz (per The Doctors). "The bladder filling up sends a signal to your spine that is normally telling your brain, 'Hey, I got to go pee.' But it also sends a reflex signal back that increases blood flow down there," he explained.

If your bladder is somehow pushing down on your genitalia and there's increased blood flow to your private parts, does this mean that sex with a full bladder can be insanely good? The answer might be a little more compplicated.

Dr. Ernst Gräfenberg, a German physician credited as the gynecologist who found the G-spot, described in 1950, "an erotic zone always could be demonstrated on the anterior wall of the vaginal along the course of the urethra," per CBS News. What this means is that the G-spot (located in the erogenous zone), which is a pleasure center for some women, could become stimulated when someone has a full bladder. So, yes, sex while having the urge to pee could be a heightened experience for some women. But for others, it might just be uncomfortable, especially if the urge to pee is so strong that you're worried you'll wet the bed during sex. 

What about pee-gasm, a finding that seems to have found wind on Reddit? Pee-gasm is the idea that by resisting the urge to pee and filling up the bladder, some women can find pleasure akin to an orgasm when relieving themselves. However, even if this could be the case, health experts recommend against consistently engaging in this practice. According to pelvic pain physician Tayyaba Ahmed on Instagram, consciously fighting the urge to pee "could make [pelvic pain] much worse or contribute to urinary dysfunctions such as urinary urgency, frequency, and retention."

Again, the answer is a little nuanced. While sex experts don't write off trying methods to increase arousal, pleasure, and orgasmic experience during sex, it's really a question of how often you do it and what the negative repercussions are of consistently holding in your pee. 

It's important to understand what signals your body was intended to get with a full bladder and not hold your pee until there's pain or discomfort. In fact, according to family nurse practitioner Patricia Geraghty (per Healthline), "When you hold the bladder, you're overstretching it [the muscular bladder sac], when you overstretch any muscle you eventually lose strength in it. So, over-filling is stretching that muscle to a point of no return, where it can't contract efficiently, which causes incontinence."

It's always exciting to find new ways to make yourself feel aroused or enjoy sex more, but it's also important to understand your anatomy and the different functions your organs were meant to perform. Crossing "wires," as Ahmed put it, isn't something you should do intentionally. Medical experts would tell you that holding in your pee is riskier than you think, so perhaps it's best to take their advice and find other, safer ways to increase sexual pleasure.