A Doctor Explains Why This New "Peegasm" Trend Might Not Be Safe

I can't really remember whether I heard this quote from a friend or from a movie, but I once heard the sensation of an orgasm being described as "letting out a sneeze very slowly after your nose had been tickling for awhile." I thought that was pretty much the most accurate description I've ever heard. There's a build-up and then there's a long, satisfying release. And, apparently, this sensation doesn't just have to be experienced from sexual encounters. No, instead, people have recently been claiming just peeing can lead them to have a "peegasm." What is a peegasm, you ask? Oh, PLEASE, for the love of God, allow me to explain.

I don't know about you but when I first read the term, I assumed it would be some variation of squirting. Well, let me clear things up for you right here, right now. It most definitely is not that. No, a peegasm is pretty literally exactly what it sounds like. Much like the sneezing analogy, "peegasm" refers to the sense of relief you get when you finally pee after having held it in for a while.

The term started getting buzz after Reddit user u/TheCatfishManatee posted a thread with this description:

So my girlfriend recently told me if she’s had to hold her pee in for a while, when she actually goes to pee, she often has orgasms that she feels all the way up her spine to her head. If she does 'reverse kegels' while peeing, they’re even more likely to happen.

He continues, "She said these orgasms sometimes leave her lightheaded and off balance, and are pretty different from her clit or vaginal orgasms."

The post struck a chord with lots of people. Some, like /u/Putinisahologram, don't necessarily find them orgasmic... but they can definitely relate. "I call them the piss shivers (cringe) because they’re not quite orgasmic in my opinion but close enough," they write.

Others whole heartedly agree with the description. "Yeah! It feels like a sensational whole body massage. Most times it's waking up in the middle of the night to have to pee," writes /u/skoldpaddor. "Yes! Get this a lot usually by accident," added /u/hopefulonthehorizon. "The reverse kegels make it feel even better."

OK, so we've established that this is an actual thing people experience... but is it safe? According to health professionals, the answer to that question is a resounding — yep, you guessed it — no.

Dr. Nancy Beth Lebowitz, a gynecologist, an assistant attending physician at Weill Cornell Medicine, and clinical instructor at Cornell Medical School, explains why not in an email to Elite Daily:

If you hold urine occasionally because you are stuck in a car or a meeting it’s unlikely to cause permanent problems other than increasing the risk of urinary tract infections. Chronically doing this can weaken the bladder tone and sphincter (that gives you bladder control) which can lead to incontinence (involuntary loss of urine) later. Incontinence, which besides being embarrassing, can increase the risk of recurrent bladder, vaginal and kidney infections. All these issues can result in a decreased quality of life.

Is a peegasm really worth the possibility of randomly peeing yourself and constantly getting bladder, vaginal and kidney infections? I don't know about you but I'm thinking it's most definitely not.

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