Why I can’t hold my urine?

Does menopause cause urinary incontinence?

I’m one of those people who would rather hold in the urge to urinate for as long as it’s humanly possible than miss a working moment. It’s such ridiculous behavior for a mature woman, my mom would say. My husband always reminds me to go to the bathroom before I pee myself. Guess what? This horrific accident started to happen in recent months, and I feel like I’m losing this “superpower.” It’s so embarrassing when it happens. There are times when I can successfully make it to the toilet without leaking a drop, but there have been moments where I had to change my underwear. It was the same experience that I had after giving birth — you know, postpartum urinary incontinence.

I started to read more about this leaking problem to know what was happening to my body and investigate if there was a link to aging and menopause. After all, I am a menopausal woman, and I have been experiencing all kinds of annoying symptoms linked to menopause. Surprise, surprise! these leaks (Urinary incontinence) are also a delightfully inconvenient sign of the big M.

What is urinary incontinence?

According to an article published by NCBI, urinary incontinence affects women in any age group. It could occur in 20–30% of young women, 30–40% in middle age, and up to 50% of old age women.

The International Continence Society defines it as the “involuntary uncontrolled leakage of urine due to bladder dysfunction of the locking mechanism.”

Some women experience minor symptoms of UI like you leak a few drops of urine when you cough, laugh, exercise, or sneeze. Or you may feel a sudden urge to urinate and be unable to hold yourself before reaching the toilet, resulting in an oops.

Women may experience UI throughout their lives, but most common situations are the result of pressure or stress on the muscles down there. Hormone changes can also affect muscle strength in the pelvic region. Consequently, UI is more common in pregnant women, or those going through postpartum and menopause.

Does Menopause Make Your Bladder Weaker?

Hormonal changes during menopause can lead to bladder control problems. Estrogen is the hormone that keeps the bladder and urethra strong. And when estrogen level starts to decline in your body, it weakens the pelvic floor muscle. As estrogen continues to diminish through menopause, UI signs can become more inconvenient, causing less bladder control. But that’s not the only thing that weakens your bladder.

The second factor, called prolapse, can weaken the bladder by sagging organs against the pelvic floor. That, in turn, strains the pelvic floor.

Third, aging can loosen the elasticity of the base of the bladder. When this happens, the base has trouble stretching to accommodate the bladder as it fills. Consequently, it causes an overactive bladder sensation making you want to go more frequently.

Types of Menopausal Incontinence

There are different types of bladder problems, but after talking with my doctor and reading research papers, there are two common types of bladder leaks during menopause: Stress or urge incontinence.

Stress incontinence

Stress incontinence results from a weakened pelvic floor (muscles, ligaments, and tissues that support the bladder and uterus). The weakening of the pelvic floor can cause the bladder to leak while doing everyday activities like exercising, walking, coughing, sneezing and laughing.

Urge incontinence

Urge incontinence is caused by past pelvic surgery such as C-section and can cause muscle or nerve damage in the bladder tissue. Other causes can result from a neurological disease, such as multiple sclerosis or Parkinson’s. Your sudden and strong urge to run to the bathroom results from an involuntary spasm in the bladder muscles. In some cases, the urge is too intense that you barely make it on time to the toilet.

You may or may not make it to the toilet on time.

Are there treatments for UI?

I don’t believe we can reverse the signs of aging. However, my doctor made some recommendations to help reduce the possibility of bladder leaking:

• Reduce caffeine and alcohol consumption.
• Train the bladder to hold more urine by urinating at certain preplanned times.
• Use kegel exercises to strengthen the pelvic muscle.

Meanwhile, should you wear liners leak-proof (incontinence) underwear?

Until now, I used to laugh at the thought of wearing leak-proof underwear. There’s no way I would even imagine putting on adult diapers. But then I saw younger influencers endorsing them during postpartum. At that point, I felt confident about trying them. If young moms wear them and feel comfortable, then why can’t older women wear them? After all, they protect us from embarrassing moments. On the other hand, I do not plan to toss away my cute lace undies anytime soon! I can still wear them at home.

When is the best time to wear leak-proof underwear for incontinence?

The frequency of wearing leak-proof underwear depends on the severity of UI. Women would typically wear them when they need to step outside the house or during physical activities. For example, wearing them during hiking where it’s almost impossible to find a rest area close enough to run to. A leak-proof or incontinence underwear will keep you dry in case the bladder fills up while exploring nature.

Originally published at https://ellemuse.com on November 25, 2020.