Support Centre
Urinary habits and incontinence
Menopause symptoms and treatments.
Urinary habits and incontinence
Around 6 million people in the UK are estimated to have problems with their bladder and incontinence but it is often not spoken about due to embarrassment. In perimenopause and menopause, 1 in 3 women report having accidental leaks and the change in hormones can exacerbate a problem that was already there or cause new urinary symptoms for the first time.
Issues might include:
- having leaks of urine, especially if you cough, sneeze, laugh or jump
- feeling the need to go very suddenly and more desperately which might cause accidents
- feeling pain or discomfort when weeing
- having an overactive bladder where you need to go very frequently, especially at night
- having recurrent urinary tract infections
And you’ll be more at risk of these changes happening the older you get as the muscles weaken, or if you’ve given birth vaginally, had a hysterectomy, had cancer treatments in the pelvic area, have a prolapse, if you’re obese and/or smoke.
Book a consultation.
If you have any questions or concerns about your health, please book a consultation.
Don’t worry alone, we’re here to help.
Ways to help
- It’s a good idea to see your doctor about any new changes to your urinary function
- HRT (including testosterone) can be beneficial
- Using local/vaginal oestrogen (placed directly in the vagina) is an effective treatment for urinary symptoms of menopause, this comes in the form of a cream, gel, pessary or ring
- Doing regular pelvic floor exercise are a must and make sure you know how to do them properly, there are plenty of videos and apps for this online
- Reduce your intake of caffeine, and fizzy drinks which can be an irritant for the bladder
- Avoid using soap-based or perfumed products on the genital area as this can dry and irritate the skin
- Consider seeing a specialist women’s health physiotherapist for extra help if incontinence is bothering you.
- Anger and irritability
- Anxiety and panic
- Bleeding from sex
- Brain fog and memory loss
- Depression
- Fatigue and lack of motivation
- Headaches and migraine
- Hot flushes, night sweats and palpitations
- Joint pain and muscle aches
- Low mood and crying
- Low self esteem and lack of confidence
- Low sex drive and painful sex
- Numbness and tingling
- Palpitations
- Period changes
- Skin changes
- Soreness and pain during intercourse
- Trouble sleeping
- Urinary habits and incontinence
- Vaginal dryness and sore vulva
- Women’s Health