Leaking urine in the third trimester

A growing baby and uterus can reduce how much urine the bladder comfortably holds. Coughing, laughing, standing up, or a full bladder may then cause a small leak. Pregnancy can also stretch the pelvic floor muscles that help close the urethra. Burning when passing urine, cloudy or strong-smelling urine, lower abdominal discomfort, or fever can point to a urinary tract infection, which needs pregnancy-safe assessment. Urine leakage is not the same as fluid leaking from the vagina; a sudden gush or ongoing watery dampness may be amniotic fluid instead.

Tell your midwife, obstetrician, or family doctor when the leakage began, what triggers it, and whether it is urine or watery fluid. Keep drinking regularly rather than severely restricting fluids, and reduce bladder irritants if they worsen urgency. Empty your bladder before activity, use a gentle pelvic-floor exercise plan if your maternity team approves, and treat constipation with advice from your clinician. A thin pad can help you observe the colour and amount; avoid inserting anything into the vagina while the cause is unclear.

Contact your maternity unit promptly for a gush or continuous trickle of fluid, vaginal bleeding, regular painful contractions, fever, back pain, pain when urinating, or reduced fetal movement. Seek urgent help if you feel very unwell or cannot pass urine. These symptoms can have causes other than ordinary bladder pressure and should not be sorted out by guesswork at home.

Could this be urine, a urinary tract infection, or amniotic fluid? Which pelvic-floor exercises are suitable at this stage of pregnancy? Should I provide a urine sample, and what changes in leakage should prompt a call to the maternity unit?