During menopause, changes in your body sometimes make it harder to control your bladder. Incontinence brought on by menopause is a common issue, but knowing what is causing the problem and what to do about it can go a long way toward helping you reduce your symptoms.
As you go through menopause, your ovaries stop producing estrogen. Estrogen is important during many events in your life, such as puberty, menstruation, and pregnancy. When your body stops making estrogen, it gets a break from the hard work it does during these three phases, but the lack of estrogen can cause various unpleasant symptoms. Women experiencing menopause often experience symptoms such as hot flashes and mood swings. Also, certain changes to your body can lead to bladder control issues. These include loss of vaginal elasticity, thinning of the urethral lining, and weakening of the pelvic floor.
The most common types of incontinence women experience during and after menopause include stress incontinence (leaking urine when coughing, laughing, or sneezing), urge incontinence (experiencing a sudden and unexpected urge to urinate), and nocturia (waking up several times in the middle of the night because of an urge to urinate). You may also experience leakage because of a bladder weakened with age or due to childbirth injuries, or certain medications.
Seeing Your Doctor
If you’re facing incontinence, in particular for the first time, be sure to discuss it with your doctor, who may be able to help you solve the problem. Your doctor will check for any signs of infection; if you have a UTI, treating it may be all that is needed. In addition, your doctor may perform various tests to determine the extent and cause of your incontinence.
What You Can Do
Regardless of what is causing your incontinence, you can minimise the problem by making some simple changes. Limiting or avoiding caffeine and alcohol can be helpful as can performing Kegel exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor. If night-time waking is a problem, limit liquids in the hours before bedtime. Maintaining a healthy weight can also help curb incontinence. If you cannot make satisfactory improvements with lifestyle changes, your doctor may want to try certain therapies, including medication, estrogen cream, biofeedback therapy, electrical stimulation, use of a pessary, or surgery.
Buying Incontinence Supplies Online
At Holistic Incontinence, we offer high-quality incontinence supplies at low prices you’ll love. Our products are manufactured in the same warehouses as the leading brands, and yet we make sure they are the cheapest incontinence supplies in Australia. We have no lock-in contracts, we never run out of stock, and we offer free shipping on bulk orders in Sydney and all of Australia. Our complete range of products includes pull-ups, all-in-ones, pads, skin care products, and more. We also offer trial packs online so that you can sample the products and find exactly the right one for you. If you’re looking for incontinence supplies in Sydney or anywhere in Australia, be sure to check out Holistic Incontinence first. We’re here to help.