Menopause and Bladder Leakage – HealthyWomen

August 19, 2024

0 Views 0

SaveSavedRemoved 0

This educational resource was sponsored by Poise, a Kimberly-Clark brand. Other Kimberly-Clark brands include Depend and Thinx for All Leaks.

My friends and I knew that hot flashes were coming, and we heard about sleep disturbances and mood swings. Women are now more likely to talk openly about menopausal symptoms that previous generations didn’t even whisper about. But there is one exception to this openness: hidden in the dark corner of friends’ menopausal conversations is the symptom that few want to talk about: urine leakage.

But it’s too common to ignore. More than half Of postmenopausal women, 90% experience some form of urinary incontinence, the medical term for leaking urine. If you’re like me, you’re probably wondering: Isn’t menopause enough, even without leaking urine? Menopause has claimed our sleep, our mood, our ability to control facial sweating. Can’t menopause allow us to retain our ability to sneeze, laugh, and cough without fear?

We should be so lucky. “We see a pronounced increase in urine leakage during the menopausal transition and during the menopausal years,” said Lauri Romanzi, MD, a urogynecologist and a member of the HealthyWomen Women’s Health Advisory Board. “Other than estrogen deprivation in the bladder and urethra, we don’t really understand why this spike occurs in and around menopause. And it’s hard to determine whether it’s due to menopause, aging issues, or the late-onset effects of childbearing.”

In the search to identify a culprit, loss of estrogen due to menopause It sounds pretty guilty. Estrogen is a hormone that affects much more than just the reproductive system, and most types of urine leakage during menopause are related to estrogen loss.

Loss of estrogen It can weaken the urethral closure, leading to a type of urine leakage caused by pressure on the bladder and urethra. Changes in pelvic floor strength have also been linked to estrogen loss, and this problem is more common among women who have given birth. However, Romanzi said, women who have not given birth are not necessarily guaranteed a life of fear-free sneezing, coughing or laughing.

Another type of bladder leak, overactive bladder (VAH), causes urinary urgency, which is when you don’t have much warning before you have to urinate. It can also cause urinary frequency and nighttime urination, with or without a feeling of urgency. The loss of estrogen receptors in the bladder due to menopause can cause overactive bladder, Romanzi said.

Bladder leakage can be common, but you can control the symptoms.

While urine leakage during menopause is common, it should not be accepted as “normal.” Possible solutions depend on the type of urine leakage you experience and its severity, but all should begin with a conversation with your healthcare provider.

“Be your own advocate,” Romanzi said. “Start by talking to your primary care physician or gynecologist. Ask for a referral to a urogynecologist or urologist who specializes in bladder issues in women.”

Your health care provider may also suggest lifestyle changes or consult a physical therapist who Specializes in pelvic floor therapy.A pelvic floor physical therapist can help you. strengthen the pelvic floor muscles through physical exercises, such as Kegel techniqueThey might also help you retrain your bladder using biofeedback and electrical stimulation techniques. Many women performing Kegel exercises incorrectlyso it may be a good idea to talk to a professional to make sure you are doing it correctly.

Using leak pads, such as Poise, or underwear designed for leaks, such as Depend or Thinx for All Leaks, can be helpful in providing protection and peace of mind. Leak pads are designed to control the odor and moisture of urine, unlike period pads.

Avoid certain foods It may help improve urinary incontinence symptoms in some women. Some foods to avoid include:

Caffeinated beverages (such as coffee, tea, and some energy drinks)
Carbonated beverages (such as soda and sparkling juices)
Citrus juices and fruits
Tomatoes
Chocolate
Alcohol
Spicy foods

What irritates your bladder may not irritate someone else’s, so it’s a good idea to try to figure out what you personally can and can’t eat and drink by keeping a diary of what you’ve eaten and drank. If you’re overweight or obese, your doctor might suggest that you lose weight to reduce pressure on your bladder and pelvic muscles.

If these changes don’t work, medications may be an option. If menopause is the cause of your urine leakage, topical estrogen applied inside the vagina may be helpful. It comes in the form of a cream, tablet, or vaginal gel. ring.

There are also FDA-approved medications. medications to treat urinary incontinenceSome of these medications can cause side effects such as dry mouth, which can make things worse by causing you to drink more. Strange as it may seem, drastically limiting fluid intake to control urine leakage is not recommended. In fact, staying well hydrated (but not too much) and emptying your bladder regularly can help retrain and strengthen the muscles around your urethra and bladder.

If these treatments do not work well enough, there are other treatments available, but they are considered more invasive. These include Botox injections into the bladder or a weekly treatment called percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (PTNS)PTNS delivers electrical stimulation through a needle inserted into a nerve in the ankle.

According to Romanzi, women with severe overactive bladder or urge incontinence that doesn’t respond to other treatments can have a device implanted that looks like a pacemaker. These devices are inserted into the lower back and send out electrical pulses. Weakened urethras can be surgically strengthened with a urethral device. sling. Increased urethral volume It is a similar surgical procedure that strengthens the urethra by injecting it with silicone.

The data shows Only 1 in 3 people who suffer from bladder leakage attempt treatment. But embarrassment, fear or discomfort should not cause you to suffer unnecessarily.

To get treatment, tell your health care provider that you have this common menopause symptom. You may feel like you’re the only one who has urine leakage, but you’re definitely not alone. And your health care provider can help you find solutions.