Understanding the Link Between Menopause and Urinary Incontinence

Menopause brings many changes to a woman's health. These changes vary in scope and intensity. Urinary incontinence can be more difficult to talk about,  and it’s an uncomfortable issue that postmenopausal women face. More than 75% of women over 65 experience bladder leaks. 

While there’s certainly a connection between urinary incontinence and menopause, you can avoid bladder leakage with support from the right doctors. 

At Southeast Urogyn, our medical specialists offer our Continence Program to assess your level of incontinence and develop treatments tailored to your specific needs. 

What is the link between menopause and incontinence?

Estrogen levels naturally lower during menopause. This decrease in hormone supply can affect the strength and elasticity of muscle tissue. 

Weakening muscle tissue in the pelvic floor, which helps to support your bladder, can cause bladder leaks due to physical strain, a condition called stress incontinence. The drop in estrogen also causes the tissue of the urethra to thin, contributing to difficulty controlling the flow of urination.

Types of urinary incontinence

There are two main types of bladder leaks you may experience during and after the transition into menopause. Both types can have similar root causes, and frequently these occur together.

Stress urinary incontinence

When bladder leaks are the result of abdominal pressure, such as sneezing, coughing, laughing, or bending over, it’s known as stress urinary incontinence. It’s the most common form of bladder leakage in adults. 

Urge incontinence

Also known as overactive bladder, urge incontinence is when you frequently have an extreme need to urinate and may not be able to make it to a washroom without an accidental leak.

Procedures to treat urinary incontinence

At Southeast Urogyn, we use a variety of procedures to help restore normal urine flow and reduce your urge to urinate. These include:

• Nonsurgical therapies such as Kegel exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor
• Medications to treat overactive bladder
• Botox® administered to your bladder wall
• Implantation of medical devices to support your urethra and/or bladder
• Laparoscopic surgery

When should you see a doctor about bladder leaks?

If bladder leaks and/or frequent strong urges to urinate adversely affect your quality of life, we at Southeast Urogyn are ready to help. We’ll run tests to diagnose the cause of your incontinence before formulating a treatment plan. 

By catching symptoms early, we can prevent them from becoming worse or requiring more invasive procedures to fix. Mild cases of urinary incontinence are often manageable with lifestyle changes, such as cutting out caffeine or adopting a schedule for bathroom trips.

Our doctors at Southeast Urogyn specialize in treating urinary incontinence, and we want to help you live a more enjoyable life free of worry about bladder leaks. For your convenience, we have offices in Madison and Flowood, Mississippi. Call today to make an appointment at the location nearest you.