Incontinence Related to Menopause
Menopause is a difficult time in a woman's life that can result in a variety of frustrating effects and symptoms. It can cause weight gain, lack of sleep, fatigue, depression, hot flashes or night sweats, mood swings, and many others. But, along with all these perks, menopausecan also be the reason for incontinence, or lack of control in regards to the bladder.
Many women in menopause willreport urinary incontinence. This is another part of menopause that you may have to deal with. And while some women only have it occur through the beginning stage of menopause, called perimenopause, the “lucky” ones will end up having this problem all throughout menopause and even after. The range in severity and frequency is different in each woman. In the end, lack of urinary control can really be irritating and annoyance that can follow you around on a daily basis.
First, it may begin with you noticing it only during certain times, such as when you sneeze, cough, job or run. It's during these times that most likely only a small amount of urine will come out. Even though it's not that much, it can get really annoying wearing damp underwear. During cases like these, they may be the beginning of a UTI, or a urinary tract infection. Other traits noticeable with a UTI include burning and pressure. But, UTIs aside, this may just be the beginning of something else … of menopause.
It's actually estimated that around 10% to 13% of menopausal women suffer from problems relating to the bladder. Most of these symptoms are noticeable, and more than anything, bothersome, and can occur even after menopause. Variations of symptoms have been reported, which means that these symptoms can stem from different root causes during menopause (such as a UTI).
But why must this happen? Here is a list of the most common reasons and symptoms behind urinary incontinence related to menopause:
- Stress: Physical stress in regards to the urinary tract can be a main factor behind loss of bladder control. This can occur when the valve, which normally works to close the bladder, will not longer function properly. This is typically seen in the perimenopause stage.
- Urges: One symptom that is very common in women, is the annoying urge to constantly urinate. Not that you really can constantly go (for lack of a better word), but many times menopausal women report experiencing bladder or urinary problems that include feeling as if they frequently or constantly have to pass urine, even when they don't actually have to do that.
- The Combination: Now here is a frustrating combination. Just take a look at this formula: stress + urge = incontinence. Typically, this will start off with the urge to go, then it progresses into the physical stress we talked about, and from there it will result in an incontinent problem. Sometimes the stress can come first, then the urge, then the loss of bladder control.
