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Menopause and Incontinence
Cathy Taylor
Menopause can bring uncomfortable symptoms such as incontinence
in several different forms. Even younger women experience
occasional bouts of urinary leakage during pregnancy, after
childbirth, and sometimes even during sex. But menses seems to
bring out more occasions of uncontrollable incontinence.
This inability to control your bladder can happen when you put
pressure on yourself by wrenching your gut due to laughing or
yelling, sneezing and coughing. The condition worsens if your
bladder is full. Incontinence can also feel like a strong,
uncontrollable urge to pass urine resulting in continuous
leakage. Sometimes the sound of running water can trigger this
urge.
There is also overflow incontinence. No matter how many times you
frequent the restroom and urinate, there are always some urine
leaked. This is a result of function of the nerve supply to the
bladder being impaired and the consequence is a distended bladder
that leak when over filled. Women with this condition do not feel
the urge top ass urine. Delaying the need to pass urine can cause
this type of incontinence.
If you experience continuous incontinence, there is leakage of
urine more or less all of the time without warning. Although this
type is uncommon it is caused by abnormalities in the urinary
tract which may be congenital or resulting from childbirth, or
from surgery such as hysterectomy and medical treatments such as
radiation.
Bouts of incontinence can also be due to menopause, specifically
hormonal imbalances. Producing less estrogen can cause the lining
of the bladder to weaken, causing irreparable control of bladder
movement. The older we get, the harder it is for us to hold back
our urine – bladders get weaker and reaction times become slower.
Depending on the type of incontinence you are experiencing, your
doctor may recommend from several types of treatment. Antibiotics
are sometimes required to treat infection. Drugs can be taken
that control abnormal bladder contractions or to create
contraction in an over distended bladder.
Balancing your hormones with either HRT or natural, bioidentical
replacement therapy can significantly relieve stress
incontinence. And, of course there are the traditional pelvic
floor exercises and kegels to strengthen the muscles surrounding
the urethra and vagina. In more severe cases, surgery may be
required or electrical stimulation of the muscles around the
bladder. This is definitely one your need to work out with your
doctor.
Cathy Taylor is a marketing consultant with over 25 years
experience. She specializes in internet marketing, strategy and
plan development, as well as management of communications and
public relations programs for small business sectors. She can be
reached at Creative Communications: creative-com@cox.net or by
visiting http://www.menopauseinfo.org
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