Vaginal entrapment of bathwater: a source of extra-urethral incontinence

This report presents 2 cases of females (a prepubertal and a pre-menopausal female) with dribbling "incontinence" caused by vaginal entrapment of bathwater. In the first case, an 8-year-old girl presented with a history of bothersome wetness of her underwear, noted mainly in the morning. History revealed that she bathed almost nightly. She was instructed to shower or bath only, each for one week. The wetting occurred only after bathing. In the second case, a 39-year-old female, G2P2 with normal genitalia noted occasional, yet significant, dribbling into her underwear only after baths. She concluded this to be bathwater accumulating in her vagina, which she evacuates digitally. The differential diagnosis of dribbling incontinence in females of any age should include the extra-urethral cause of entrapped fluids of immersion. Although this condition may be rare, it is simple to rule out on history based on its temporal association with fluid immersion. Once diagnosed, the management is behavioural.