# How would urine run down a woman's leg if the legs are spread wide so there's enough space? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 8, 2019, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-urine-run-down-a-womans-leg-if-the-legs-are-spread-wide-so-theres-enough-space/830790 "2019-03-08T21:49:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2019, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-urine-run-down-a-womans-leg-if-the-legs-are-spread-wide-so-theres-enough-space/830790/61 "2019-03-09T14:36:16Z")
Me, neither, and I’m pleasantly surprised that it hasn’t been derailed yet. (No threadpissing, either!) It occurred to me that some women might flex or push while peeing, creating a stronger stream that’s a bit easier to control. If you just relax & let go, the urine flows at more of a dribble, which is WAY more likely to run down your thighs if you’re not sitting on a toilet. So the ladies peeing in more of a jet would have an easier time peeing while standing or squatting than the relaxed dribblers. Imagine pouring from a coffee mug into a narrow jar. (No spout.) If you tilt fast and pour hard, you’ll get most/all of it into the jar … but if you slooooowwwwly tip the mug, the contents will run down the side of the mug and all over your hand & everywhere else and make a mess. … and, just like listening to rain or thinking about Niagara Falls, reading this thread makes me gotta go pee. ---
**Author:** ![Randolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Randolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randolph)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2019, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-urine-run-down-a-womans-leg-if-the-legs-are-spread-wide-so-theres-enough-space/830790/62 "2019-03-09T14:50:50Z")
I don’t know why I know this, but they do make female pee funnels, both disposable and reusable. So it’s something that’s been given decent research. [Insert “indecent research” joke.] ---
**Author:** ![jordan20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b19c9b/32.png) [@jordan20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jordan20)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2019, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-urine-run-down-a-womans-leg-if-the-legs-are-spread-wide-so-theres-enough-space/830790/63 "2019-03-09T19:04:39Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Another factor is flexibility. Particularly with age, but some women simply can’t spread their legs that far apart because they’re stiff and their joints aren’t flexible. The older they are, the less they exercise, and the less they do flexibility stretches the more problem this will be, but I’ve known some supremely inactive young women who might have problems with this. That makes sense. I don’t have to spread them that far though. ---
**Author:** ![jordan20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b19c9b/32.png) [@jordan20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jordan20)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2019, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-urine-run-down-a-womans-leg-if-the-legs-are-spread-wide-so-theres-enough-space/830790/64 "2019-03-09T19:11:43Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > Me, neither, and I’m pleasantly surprised that it hasn’t been derailed yet. (No threadpissing, either!) > > It occurred to me that some women might flex or push while peeing, creating a stronger stream that’s a bit easier to control. If you just relax & let go, the urine flows at more of a dribble, which is WAY more likely to run down your thighs if you’re not sitting on a toilet. So the ladies peeing in more of a jet would have an easier time peeing while standing or squatting than the relaxed dribblers. > > Imagine pouring from a coffee mug into a narrow jar. (No spout.) If you tilt fast and pour hard, you’ll get most/all of it into the jar … but if you slooooowwwwly tip the mug, the contents will run down the side of the mug and all over your hand & everywhere else and make a mess. > > … and, just like listening to rain or thinking about Niagara Falls, reading this thread makes me gotta go pee. It makes no difference for me if I’m peeing slow. I tried peeing with like no force because I thought maybe that’s how some people pee, but it still didn’t run down my leg. Some of it drips down the buttocks, but it stops there. I don’t know why it stops for some people, but with others it keeps sliding down. Some of it drips down the buttocks even when I’m sitting. ---
**Author:** ![jordan20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b19c9b/32.png) [@jordan20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jordan20)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2019, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-urine-run-down-a-womans-leg-if-the-legs-are-spread-wide-so-theres-enough-space/830790/65 "2019-03-09T19:13:49Z")
> [@raventhief](#): > > The _top_ of your buttocks? Urine drips to the top of your buttocks? I mean the part right below the labia, just a very small area. I didn’t mean to confuse you by saying top. ---
**Author:** ![Hopeful\_Crow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/da6949/32.png) [@Hopeful\_Crow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hopeful_Crow)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2019, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-urine-run-down-a-womans-leg-if-the-legs-are-spread-wide-so-theres-enough-space/830790/66 "2019-03-09T20:40:18Z")
> [@jordan20](#): > > They’re acting like it would run down their leg if they’re using a toilet or outside. I don’t think it would get on ankles if they are far apart. Try this: Take some newspaper and lay several sheets on the ground. Then put a few drops of food coloring in a water bottle with maybe a cup or two of water in it. Then pour from the height of you crotch at about the rate a person pees. If you want to carry this experiment further, wrap you legs in newspaper as well and pour near your private bits. I’m betting that you will notice there is more splashing than you originally thought. Also, do all guys’ have urine that shoots straight out from their penises? Isn’t it possible because each one is a little different, the pee angles just a tad to the left or right? Imagine having inner labia and hair possibly getting in the way and, yeah, I can see at least some urine running down one’s legs. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2019, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-urine-run-down-a-womans-leg-if-the-legs-are-spread-wide-so-theres-enough-space/830790/67 "2019-03-09T23:05:08Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > I’m not making fun of you, but it amuses me to learn that you freely share that you are a “midline pisser”, but providing more detail than that would make you uncomfortable. 🙂 I really don’t feel like describing the exact configuration of my labia, etc. on a public forum. You know I got 'em, but the general public doesn’t need more detal than that. ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2019, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-urine-run-down-a-womans-leg-if-the-legs-are-spread-wide-so-theres-enough-space/830790/68 "2019-03-10T00:14:54Z")
Fun fact: : the urine stream [corkscrews](https://www.embarrassingproblems.com/docspots/DocSpot-not-peeing-straight) as it leaves the penis. > [@](#): > > This is because of the structure of the urethra (the tube inside the penis that the urine passes through). The urethra is slightly flattened horizontally, but its opening at the end of the penis (the meatus) is a vertical ellipse shape. This gives the urine a twist as it emerges and, paradoxically, the twist keeps the urine in a single stream OK, that’s men, and we’re talking about women. Turns out there are a lot of reasons why some women have urine streams that split (so that one or both streams go down the leg(s)) or are not perpendicular to the toilet bowl or ground. > [@](#): > > Usually [the urethra] is wide enough for urine to flow freely through it, but when it narrows or something is blocking the flow, it can cause urine to spray as if a finger was being held in front of a hose. Strictures, STD, and anatomical abnormalities can all cause this, but also > [@](#): > > In women, weak muscles around the urethra may make it hard to push out any discharge that causes the passageway to be clogged. Some of these don’t require medical intervention, and you might not mind if pee runs down your leg. If it hits your forehead, though, urine trouble. ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2019, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-urine-run-down-a-womans-leg-if-the-legs-are-spread-wide-so-theres-enough-space/830790/69 "2019-03-10T00:17:40Z")
Here’s the [cite](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-5157403/Should-worry-wee-sprays.html). ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2019, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-urine-run-down-a-womans-leg-if-the-legs-are-spread-wide-so-theres-enough-space/830790/70 "2019-03-10T00:27:22Z")
> [@Hopeful\_Crow](#): > > Try this: Take some newspaper and lay several sheets on the ground. Then put a few drops of food coloring in a water bottle with maybe a cup or two of water in it. Then pour from the height of you crotch at about the rate a person pees. If you want to carry this experiment further, wrap you legs in newspaper as well and pour near your private bits. I’m betting that you will notice there is more splashing than you originally thought. > > Also, do all guys’ have urine that shoots straight out from their penises? Isn’t it possible because each one is a little different, the pee angles just a tad to the left or right? Imagine having inner labia and hair possibly getting in the way and, yeah, I can see at least some urine running down one’s legs. Ooh! Saturday night science-y fun. I know what I’m doing tonight. First I gotta finish the crossword puzzle. I got some blue food color too.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2019, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-urine-run-down-a-womans-leg-if-the-legs-are-spread-wide-so-theres-enough-space/830790/71 "2019-03-10T01:21:01Z")
> [@EmilyG](#): > > I don’t think I’ve ever seen such an extensive discussion of female urination before this thread, even on this board. 😛 Given the age of this board, the curiosity and brazenness of its members and guests, and the fact that this topic is really such a mundane event in the daily lives of at least half of us, it’s a rather impressive accomplishment to post such an original inquiry. ---
**Author:** ![Hopeful\_Crow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/da6949/32.png) [@Hopeful\_Crow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hopeful_Crow)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2019, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-urine-run-down-a-womans-leg-if-the-legs-are-spread-wide-so-theres-enough-space/830790/72 "2019-03-10T01:54:36Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Ooh! Saturday night science-y fun. I know what I’m doing tonight. First I gotta finish the crossword puzzle. I got some blue food color too.🙂 Hey, since you’re down for this, **Beck,** I thought of something else. Instead of using a water bottle, use a dish soap bottle instead, since the nozzle will let you more closely imitate the urine stream and you could experiment with different amounts of pressure, too. :D:D:D Hey, if you don’t do the sudoku puzzle, cut it out for me, OK? Pre-experiment, please. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2019, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-urine-run-down-a-womans-leg-if-the-legs-are-spread-wide-so-theres-enough-space/830790/73 "2019-03-10T02:00:33Z")
Wouldn’t a bottle be more like a male appendage though? I’m ruminating on this now. Hmmmm? For-sure the sudoku is yours, Hopeful crow. ---
**Author:** ![jordan20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b19c9b/32.png) [@jordan20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jordan20)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2019, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-urine-run-down-a-womans-leg-if-the-legs-are-spread-wide-so-theres-enough-space/830790/74 "2019-03-10T02:10:57Z")
> [@nelliebly](#): > > Fun fact: : the urine stream [corkscrews](https://www.embarrassingproblems.com/docspots/DocSpot-not-peeing-straight) as it leaves the penis. > > OK, that’s men, and we’re talking about women. Turns out there are a lot of reasons why some women have urine streams that split (so that one or both streams go down the leg(s)) or are not perpendicular to the toilet bowl or ground. > > Strictures, STD, and anatomical abnormalities can all cause this, but also > > Some of these don’t require medical intervention, and you might not mind if pee runs down your leg. If it hits your forehead, though, urine trouble. Pee doesn’t run down my leg if the stream splits, but for some reason it does with some women. ---
**Author:** ![jordan20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b19c9b/32.png) [@jordan20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jordan20)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2019, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-urine-run-down-a-womans-leg-if-the-legs-are-spread-wide-so-theres-enough-space/830790/75 "2019-03-10T02:14:58Z")
> [@Hopeful\_Crow](#): > > Try this: Take some newspaper and lay several sheets on the ground. Then put a few drops of food coloring in a water bottle with maybe a cup or two of water in it. Then pour from the height of you crotch at about the rate a person pees. If you want to carry this experiment further, wrap you legs in newspaper as well and pour near your private bits. I’m betting that you will notice there is more splashing than you originally thought. > > Also, do all guys’ have urine that shoots straight out from their penises? Isn’t it possible because each one is a little different, the pee angles just a tad to the left or right? Imagine having inner labia and hair possibly getting in the way and, yeah, I can see at least some urine running down one’s legs. Maybe a bit, but I don’t think it would be a really large amount. I don’t think a small amount would be the end of the world, but maybe some do. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2019, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-urine-run-down-a-womans-leg-if-the-legs-are-spread-wide-so-theres-enough-space/830790/76 "2019-03-10T06:42:31Z")
> [@raventhief](#): > > The _top_ of your buttocks? Urine drips to the top of your buttocks? “In Space, No One Can Hear You Pee” ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2019, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-urine-run-down-a-womans-leg-if-the-legs-are-spread-wide-so-theres-enough-space/830790/77 "2019-03-10T22:09:33Z")
> [@nelliebly](#): > > Fun fact: : the urine stream [corkscrews](https://www.embarrassingproblems.com/docspots/DocSpot-not-peeing-straight) as it leaves the penis. The male meatus has a couple of lumps of flesh that normally press together to hold it shut when not in use. They can be substantial enough in bulk that the pressure of the stream is not enough the separate them completely, so the stream exits at the less bulky areas above and below them, which results in the split-stream effect. This will tend to be more noticeable in men whose foreskin has been removed. There are a number of pages on the 'net that discuss the art of women peeing while standing. It appears that one key to doing this is to rock your pelvis back, so that the stream is somewhat less vertical. And, of course, pull the inner labia away from the urethra to expose it (which should be done with very clean fingers, to avoid UTI risk). ---
**Author:** ![raventhief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raventhief/32/4_2.png) [@raventhief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raventhief)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2019, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-urine-run-down-a-womans-leg-if-the-legs-are-spread-wide-so-theres-enough-space/830790/78 "2019-03-10T22:10:59Z")
> [@jordan20](#): > > Pee doesn’t run down my leg if the stream splits, but for some reason it does with some women. I didn’t know women could have split streams. I have learned today. Thanks Nellie! ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Gay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3ab097/32.png) [@Enola\_Gay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Gay)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2019, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-urine-run-down-a-womans-leg-if-the-legs-are-spread-wide-so-theres-enough-space/830790/79 "2019-03-11T02:20:28Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Wouldn’t a bottle be more like a male appendage though? I’m ruminating on this now. Hmmmm? Yes you will need to fashion some mock labia & pubic hair onto the spout of the bottle, for science. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2019, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-urine-run-down-a-womans-leg-if-the-legs-are-spread-wide-so-theres-enough-space/830790/80 "2019-03-11T02:32:32Z")
As a man, I should probably stay the hell out of this thread, but I will observe that men with enlarged prostates have weak urine streams and, in plain language, they dribble. Of course, women don’t have prostates, but isn’t it possible that some women have weaker streams than others, and thus have more problems with, umm, “trickle”? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-urine-run-down-a-womans-leg-if-the-legs-are-spread-wide-so-theres-enough-space/830790.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-urine-run-down-a-womans-leg-if-the-legs-are-spread-wide-so-theres-enough-space/830790.md?page=5)