Wednesday, July 14, 2021

4 Effective Tips For Managing Incontinence Through Menopause And Beyond

 Ladies, have you ever laughed/sneezed/coughed and had a little "accident"? There's certainly no shame in it--- we've all been there! It's actually very common for women who have given birth, are 50+ in age, and for those going through either perimenopause or menopause. But there's no need to allow urine leakage to disrupt your life when there are so many options for this problem.  Here are some tips and advice from the good people at Zorbies:



4 Effective Tips for Managing Incontinence Through Menopause and Beyond


This information is general advice only and does not replace professional medical advice for your unique needs and situation. Always consult your doctor or a medical professional for personal advice.

Is urine leakage getting in the way of your life?

You’re not alone. Around 50% of women aged 50 years to 64 years experience urinary incontinence. In comparison, only 5% of men, in the same age bracket, experience this problem.

Incontinence is often an embarrassing experience for many women. Pelvic floor disorders, child-birth, aging, urinary tract infections, and menopause are some causes of incontinence in women. 

During menopause, women experience rapid hormonal changes in their bodies. They also develop weaker pelvic floor muscles, something that may also occur due to aging. 

At this time, estrogen production reduces, leading to thinning of the urethra (the tube responsible for passing urine out of your body from the bladder) lining. 

“Pelvic relaxation” due to aging further weakens the pelvic muscles surrounding your urethra and bladder. Your vaginal tissues also become less elastic, explaining why women have an increased risk for incontinence at menopause. Aging and child-birth heighten the risk for incontinence during menopause. 

Whether you’re concerned about your menopause years ahead or they’ve already kicked in, you don’t have to let it steal your peace and happiness. Instead, you can manage incontinence through menopause and beyond with various tips that have been proven to work. 

Here’re a few tips to help you manage incontinence:

4 Tips to Help You Manage Incontinence During Menopause and Beyond 

  1. Lifestyle changes for managing incontinence 

Various changes to your lifestyle can help manage incontinence. The changes span anything from a healthy diet to your normal everyday habits to strengthening your pelvic floor muscles. Some lifestyle changes to consider include:

  • Create a schedule known as timed voiding to empty your bladder – don’t wait for the urge to empty your bladder; visit the bathroom often to keep your bladder empty.
  • Empty your bladder prior to a physical activity or exercise to prevent leakage. 
  • Avoid lifting heavy objects; if you must carry something heavy, get help from a second party. 
  • Avoid drinking fluids before going to bed or indulging in a physical activity. 
  • Wear women’s incontinence underwear or pads to manage urine leakage through menopause and beyond. The incontinence panties and pads ensure that urine doesn’t get through your clothes, and nobody will ever know that you’re wearing one.
  • Train your bladder to increase the timings between your bathroom visits.
  • Exercise and eat a healthy diet to reduce weight – excess body weight is a risk factor for incontinence. 
  • Get an OTC (over-the-counter) vaginal insert to manage incontinence – the devices are placed in your vagina to compress your urethra. They ease stress incontinence. 
  • Do Kegel exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor muscles. Lift, hold and relax your pelvic floor muscles to strengthen them. Do the lifting and holding for a few seconds and increase the timing gradually over time. Do many sets (a set contains 10 exercises) of Kegels daily. 


The benefit of these exercises is that you can do them anywhere while sitting, standing or lying down. And, the best part is that nobody will ever know.


If these lifestyle changes don’t seem to help, you may need incontinence treatment. Depending on your incontinence diagnosis, consider the following treatment options.

  1. Surgeries and procedures for treating incontinence

Ranging from basic injections to sophisticated surgeries, treatment options can help manage incontinence if the lifestyle changes above have failed. The right procedure for you depends on the type of incontinence in question, its symptoms, and how it affects your life.

  • Botulin toxin injections – Botox isn’t just useful for cosmetic treatments, but also handy in relaxing body muscles. This temporary injection is administered on your bladder to relax muscles around it and manage urge incontinence. 
  • Bulking agents – a substance is injected into your urethra lining to increase its thickness. This treatment works for stress incontinence. 
  • Sling procedures – a strip of your own body tissue or a synthetic material is used to support your urethra and its surrounding muscles. The procedures improve urine retention
  • Neuromodulation devices – pacemakers are implanted in your bladder to stimulate surrounding nerves and enhance urine control. A nerve near your ankle can also be stimulated to enhance bladder control. 


  1. Medication for managing incontinence

Some medications can stabilize your muscle contractions to prevent an overacting bladder and reduce leakage. Other drugs relax your muscles to enable you completely empty your bladder and control leakage. 

Most medications for incontinence management can restore the proper function of your bladder. The best medication is the one that suits your particular needs. 

Seek the advice from your medical provider to get an accurate diagnosis and prescription for your needs.

  1. Hormone replacement therapies (HRTs)

HRTs involve estrogen replacement in your body; this hormone reduces during menopause. This therapy can boost or restore your bladder’s normal function. Once again, this is an extremely specialized process so you need to seek the professional guidance and advice from your doctor.

Conclusion

Urinary incontinence in women is common during menopause. Although the condition can cause embarrassing moments when urine leakage occurs unexpectedly, you can manage it or even get it treated. 

Whether you opt for Kegels, incontinence panties, or surgery, you can control urine leaks through menopause and beyond. With the tips discussed in this article, you take control of your incontinence to ensure it doesn’t get in the way of your life.

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