Doctor Oz did a segment on why women always have to pee… apparently Dr Oz’s beautiful wife and daughters are always asking him to pull over to go to the restroom (my husband can definitely relate!). Is the male bladder so different from the female bladder?
Male Bladder Vs Female Bladder
Dr Oz showed a real man’s bladder and a real woman’s bladder. Both bladders are about the same size and can hold about the same amount of urine (2 cups according to Dr Oz). The main differences are the shape, due to where the bladder is located in a man versus in a woman, and the fact that the woman’s bladder seemed to have slightly thinner walls than the man’s bladder.
Why Women Always Have to Pee:
To answer this question, Dr Oz did a demonstration with pizza dough. The male pizza dough or “pelvic floor” stayed pretty thick and well put together. The woman’s pizza dough or “pelvic floor” can stretch out from childbirth, straining and menopause. When the pelvic floor gets stretched out, you can get holes in it and weakened pelvic muscles. So women should do exercises to keep their pelvic muscles strong.
Why Older Men’s Pee Trickles:
Dr Oz said that men have a different problem, they don’t have a problem where they always have to pee, but their trouble is caused by their prostate. Dr Oz did a demonstration with a water bottle to represent a bladder, and a blood pressure cuff around a plastic tube coming out of the water bottle to represent the prostate. When men get older, sometimes the prostate gets tighter and tighter so you cannot get all of your urine out and you never fully empty your bladder. This can lead to infections and can make you get up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Dr Oz said that you should avoid caffeine and cut out salty foods which make you retain moisture, as well as spicy foods which can irritate the inside of your bladder.