In
neurourology, post-micturition convulsion syndrome (PMCS), also known informally as pee shivers or piss shivers, is the experience of
shivering during or after
urination
Urination is the release of urine from the bladder through the urethra in Placentalia, placental mammals, or through the cloaca in other vertebrates. It is the urinary system's form of excretion. It is also known medically as micturition, v ...
.
The syndrome seems to be experienced more often by men than women.
The term "post-micturition convulsion syndrome" was coined in 1994 in the online question-and-answer newspaper column ''
The Straight Dope'', when a reader inquired about the phenomenon.
Explanation
There has yet to be any peer-reviewed research on the topic.
The most plausible theory is that the shiver is a result of the
autonomic nervous system getting its signals mixed up between its two main divisions:
*The
sympathetic nervous system (SNS), which controls
bladder function, preventing urination.
*The
parasympathetic nervous system
The parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS) is one of the three divisions of the autonomic nervous system, the others being the sympathetic nervous system and the enteric nervous system.
The autonomic nervous system is responsible for regulat ...
(PNS), which relaxes the
urethral sphincter and contracts the bladder, causing urination.
Part of the SNS response to a full bladder is the release of
catecholamines (including
epinephrine,
norepinephrine
Norepinephrine (NE), also called noradrenaline (NA) or noradrenalin, is an organic compound, organic chemical in the catecholamine family that functions in the brain and human body, body as a hormone, neurotransmitter and neuromodulator. The ...
and
dopamine
Dopamine (DA, a contraction of 3,4-dihydroxyphenethylamine) is a neuromodulatory molecule that plays several important roles in cells. It is an organic chemical of the catecholamine and phenethylamine families. It is an amine synthesized ...
), which are dispatched to help restore or maintain blood pressure.
When urination begins, the PNS takes over, and catecholamine production changes. It may be the change in chemical production which causes the shiver, or the switch from SNS to PNS itself which is the cause.
See also
*
Micturition syncope
References
{{reflist
Syndromes
Urine
1994 neologisms