Menopause happens when a woman’s hormone levels drop, causing periods to stop. It usually happens to women between the ages of 45 and 55. It generally happens naturally, though there are some other factors, such as surgeries and treatments that can cause menopause. It’s a time of significant change in your body that can feel daunting and stressful. As you go through menopause, there are several physical and mental changes that take place. Some menopausal women experience incontinence, which is when the bladder leaks urine, involuntarily.
At a time when your brain and body are going through change, dealing with incontinence as well may be incredibly stressful. Many women feel too embarrassed to talk about the issue or feel like it’s only them who are going through it, but it’s important to know that you’re not alone and that there’s a wealth of help and support available. In this article, we’ll explore why menopause causes incontinence and will discuss how you can manage this in your day-to-day life.
The first indication of menopause is called perimenopause, and this is when periods become irregular, before stopping altogether at menopause. Menopause affects the body physically and mentally in different ways for different women.
Unsurprisingly, symptoms such as these can have a significant impact on your day-to-day life. But in addition to these symptoms, the change in hormones can cause menopausal incontinence too: as oestrogen levels drop, pelvic floor muscles may weaken due to the thinning of urethral and vaginal tissues. This deterioration is one of the major causes of menopausal incontinence. It’s important to note that more than 50% of menopausal women experience incontinence according to an NHS study.
Menopausal women may experience different types of incontinence, and these may vary significantly between individuals. Symptoms experienced are linked to the hormonal changes that occur and may have different triggers from person to person.
This is the most common type of menopausal incontinence. It is linked to the weakening of the urethral muscle and supportive vaginal tissue, caused by oestrogen levels dropping as we mentioned earlier.
The “stress” referred to here is physical. For example, exercising, lifting a heavy object, sneezing or even laughing. This stress causes urine to leak, the amount of which is relative to the level of stress and also the level of muscle weakening.
Urge incontinence happens when you feel a sudden and sometimes unexpected need to go to the toilet and urine leaks before you have the chance to do so. This is sometimes referred to as an “overactive bladder”. Urge incontinence can be triggered in a number of ways, happening quickly or indeed, urgently. Drinking fluids, changing position or even hearing running water can be triggers and it often accompanies the need to go to the toilet much more often than normal.
As the name suggests, mixed incontinence consists of a combination of both stress and urge incontinence. Stress incontinence is more common in perimenopause, with urge incontinence usually developing later during menopause.
Now that we have given you an understanding of the effects and causes of menopausal incontinence, it’s important to show how you can manage the situation, regaining your control and confidence. There are lots of areas where you can take steps to manage your menopausal incontinence:
Changes to your lifestyle are the first recommended port of call to help get menopausal incontinence under control. Drinking less alcohol and caffeine is recommended, as these are diuretic drinks that fill the bladder more quickly, making leaks more likely. Excess weight can also put undue stress on the bladder, so considering losing weight may be beneficial.
It’s key to remember that there are some foods that can help your condition, such as non-acidic fruits and vegetables, like bananas. In terms of foods that are bad for you, try to avoid consuming caffeinated drinks such as coffee and energy drinks. Also, acidic fruit juices – especially orange, grapefruit, and tomato – can cause flare ups.
Exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor are a well-known solution. This involves contracting and releasing the pelvic floor muscles. We have some pelvic floor exercisers to help you to build strength in these muscles and regain some control.
In some cases, medical treatment is required, and this can take the form of either prescription drugs or surgery. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is a method of realigning the body’s hormone levels that can contribute to menopausal incontinence. There are several surgical options available, including operating on the bladder and sphincter muscles (responsible for the opening and closing of the bladder) and surgery to strengthen urethral muscles.
If you’re seeking medical or surgical solutions, it’s absolutely essential that you consult your GP before starting any course of medication. The kind of treatment recommended will vary from one person to the next, and it’s important that you get professional help for you to manage menopausal incontinence effectively.
There are alternatives to medicine and again, the range is vast, so consider all your options and find out which works best for you. Examples include:
As well as all the physical symptoms of menopausal incontinence, living with this condition may take an emotional toll. We encourage people to talk about incontinence and seek support where needed. There are also many products specifically designed to make your day-to-day life a little easier.
Menopause needn’t hold you back from enjoying your life to the fullest, every day. Our wide selection of women’s incontinence aids and services may help to manage this common and treatable condition. Or discover the full range of incontinence aids available.
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