Menopause and Urinary Incontinence

How does menopause effect your bladder?

During menopause your body stops creating estrogen. This hormone is what kept your body’s menstrual cycle regulated. Once it is no longer produced your body begins to change in many ways. Usually people talk about the hot flushes and night sweats. What is not commonly talked about is that your bladder will begin to change as well.

The reduction in estrogen that occurs with menopause has long been associated with muscle weakening. This weakening also impacts the pelvic floor muscle (the muscle that spans the lower part of the pelvis and supports organs such as the bowel, bladder and uterus) and the muscles that contract the bladder.

During this time the elasticity in your bladder begins to weaken. This is why you may feel the urgency to have to urinate. 

It is important to note that the lining of the urethra, which is the tube that empties urine from your bladder, begins to dry so the risk of getting a urinary tract infection (UTI) increases.

In some women, changing hormones can affect the health of the bladder and urethra lining and bladder elasticity, impacting continence.

Another key risk at this life stage is weight gain, which adds pressure to the pelvic organs and puts undue stress and strain on the pelvic floor muscle.

The two most common types of urinary incontinence for women going through menopause are stress incontinence and urge incontinence. Stress incontinence is when you notice that you leak when you are laughing, coughing sneezing, or lifting heavy objects. Urge incontinence happens when you feel like you have to urinate suddenly and very badly.

What You Can Do

If you are experiencing either of these issues or have any concerns speak to your doctor about lifestyle changes and starting pelvic floor exercises.

Menopause may not be the direct cause of your urinary incontinence. Women who have been through childbirth, are on certain medications, or who are obese are also at a high risk for urinary incontinence. It is a very common issue that affects many women.

Many women feel like they have to limit their outings or stop doing things they once enjoyed for fear of a leak or incident. This should not be the case though, as there are many precautions that can be taken so you can continue to live your life. For some helpful tips and tricks, you can look at our post on living well with urinary incontinence.

Make sure you’ve got the right bladder weakness protection for your needs and you can get rid of those worries right away. To find out more about how TENA bladder weakness protection can help and choose the right products for your needs, use our Product Finder for men and women.