The "Pee After Sex" Meme Is Actually an Important Health Lesson

Here’s something I never thought I’d say: Twitter is probably excellent sexual education for the masses today. Yes, that’s right: The internet has joined together for a noble cause, which is telling people to pee after sex. If it sounds unbelievable that Twitter may sometimes be useful, you’re probably not alone. But the latest meme really is all about why you should pee after sex.

How the “pee after sex” meme format originated is difficult to pinpoint for certain. But it’s not the first joke about sex to sweep social media this week, and it probably won’t be the last. And yet, if it comes packaged with a science lesson, we’re okay with it.

All of these tweets are a variation of “pee after sex or you’ll get a UTI.” And that’s the truth! Gynecologists will tell you that peeing after sex is a form of safe sex, especially if you have a vagina. The biggest benefit is that you’ll likely avoid a urinary tract infection, which happens when bacteria enter the urethra. A lot of bacteria, uh, get jumbled around when you have sex, and peeing clears the urethra. The more you know!

This next tweet raises another valuable line of scientific inquiry, one that internet adolescents tend to ruminate on for hours at a time: Is cum pee? I know we’re treading on unsteady ground here, but scientists are actually divided over the issue of “squirting.” And while your high school gym teacher probably didn’t want to get into it, it’s important to note: When women “squirt,” as the laymen’s term would describe it, that substance could very well be pee, depending on the person. I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again: the more you know!

There’s another reason why people with vaginas, especially, should pee after sex. Basically, the vagina, the urethra, and the rectum are all pretty close together on the average female body. That means bacteria in the anus can meander a little too close to the urethra.

And it’s worth stating that these trendy, meme-able sex facts aren’t just for heterosexual people. Anyone having sex in any capacity should heed thy warning: Pee after sex or you’ll get a “[insert meme here].”

At the very least, unlike your middle school sex quiz, you’ll probably remember this valuable lesson.