What Is Giggle Incontinence?
Has your child ever come to you and said that they peed themselves while laughing? If so, they are not alone! They may be experiencing what is called giggle incontinence. Giggle incontinence is most commonly seen among young teenage girls and is characterized by the complete emptying of their bladder while laughing. This can be traumatic for young girls, impacting them both physically and emotionally. Our goal is to help you understand more about what it is, who it affects, what causes it, and what can be done about it.
What Is Giggle Incontinence?
Giggle incontinence is a type of urinary incontinence that occurs when a child involuntarily empties their bladder while laughing or immediately after. For these children, once they start urinating they are unable to stop the flow of urine and it usually soaks their clothes. It is different from stress incontinence, which is a small amount of leaking that can happen while laughing, coughing, sneezing, or doing any other activity that puts pressure on your bladder. Unlike other types of urinary incontinence, giggle incontinence only occurs when the child laughs and at no other time.
Who Does Giggle Incontinence Affect?
Giggle incontinence is primarily seen in prepubescent girls. Many moms may say “well wait a minute, I experience the same thing! I leak every time I laugh really hard.” The difference is for these young girls, there is no tiny leak, it is a complete emptying of their bladder and only occurs when laughing really hard.
What Causes It?
The etiology of giggle incontinence is unclear. Some research suggests that it could be linked to a possible central nervous system problem. While this can be frustrating to hear, it is important to understand and encourage your children that this is not their fault. Many parents of kids with this condition think their child does not have strong enough muscles, are lazy, or not paying attention enough to hold it all in. This is not the case, for these kids this is something out of their control.
Is Giggle Incontinence Treatable?
The good news is, most young girls will outgrow giggle incontinence with time. That being said, there still is more that we can do to support these kids in managing their condition. Working with a pelvic floor therapist is a great place to start. We have the specific training to assess your child’s pelvic floor function and provide different strategies to manage giggle incontinence symptoms.
Pelvic Floor Therapy for Giggle Incontinence
Seeing a pediatric pelvic floor therapist will allow your child to get the individual attention they need and deserve to help manage giggle incontinence. Treatment will depend on what your child's specific needs are and can include things like training of the pelvic floor muscles to help them better engage before laughing, making sure your child is not constipated (which can exacerbate symptoms), education on reducing bladder irritants, and different strategies to implement during social events to reduce incidence rates. If you think your child is struggling with giggle incontinence, see how we can help. Book a free discovery call to learn more.