Articles » Menopause and Bladder Control: NIDDK

Menopause and Bladder Control: NIDDK

Article title: Menopause and Bladder Control: NIDDK

Main condition: Bladder incontinence

Conditions: Bladder incontinence, urge incontinence

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Does menopause affect bladder control?

Yes. Some women have bladder control problems after they stop having periods (menopause or change of life). If you are going through menopause, talk to your health care team.

After your periods end, your body stops making the female hormone estrogen (ES-truh-jun). Estrogen controls how your body matures, your monthly periods, and body changes during pregnancy and breast-feeding.

Estrogen also helps keep the lining of the bladder and the urethra (yoo-REE-thrah) plump and healthy.

Lack of estrogen causes the bladder control muscles to get weak. Your doctor may give you medicine to replace estrogen to prevent future bladder control problems.

Be sure to tell your doctor if you or your family has a history of cancer. If you face a high risk of cancer of the uterus or breast, the doctor may not prescribe estrogen.

Pressure from coughing, sneezing, or lifting can push urine through the weakened muscle. This kind of leakage is called stress incontinence. It is one of the most common kinds of bladder control problems in older women.

Good bladder control allows women to lead a fully active life.

What else causes bladder control problems in older women?

Sometimes bladder control problems are caused by other medical conditions. These problems include

• infections
• nerve damage from diabetes or stroke
• heart problems
• medicines
• feeling depressed
• difficulty walking or moving.

A very common kind of bladder control problem for older women is urge incontinence. This means the bladder muscles squeeze at the wrong time--or all the time--and cause leaks.

If you have this problem, your health care team can help you retrain yourself to go to the toilet on a schedule.

What should you do about bladder control after menopause?

Talk to your health care team. You may have stress or urge incontinence, but other things could also be happening.

Medicines and exercises can restore bladder control in many cases. Your doctor will give you a checkup first.

Teaching your bladder a new routine can reduce urge incontinence.

What treatments can help you regain bladder control?

It depends on what kind of bladder control problem you have. Hormone medicines are only one treatment. Your health care team may also recommend some of the following:

• limiting caffeine
• exercising pelvic muscles
• training the bladder to hold more urine.

If these simple treatments do not work, your health care team may have you try something different. These treatments might include

• biofeedback
• electrical stimulation of pelvic muscles
• a device inserted in the vagina to hold up the bladder
• a device inserted directly into the urethra to block leakage
• surgery to lift a sagging bladder into a better position.

What professionals can help you with bladder control?

Professionals who can help you with bladder control include

• your primary care doctor
• a gynecologist (guy-nuh-CALL-uh-jist): a women's doctor
• a urogynecologist (YOOR-oh-guy-nuh-CALL-uh-jist): an expert in women's bladder problems
• a urologist (yoor-ALL-uh-jist): an expert in bladder problems
• a nurse or nurse practitioner
• a physical therapist.

Points to Remember

• Some women have bladder control problems after they stop having periods.
• Replacing female hormones may prevent future bladder control problems.
• Exercising pelvic muscles can help you maintain or improve bladder control.
• Treatment depends on the type of bladder control problem(s) you have. Talk to your health care team to find the treatment that's right for you.

National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse

3 Information Way
Bethesda, MD 20892 3580
E-mail: nkudic@aerie.com

The National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse is a service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, of the National Institutes of Health, under the U.S. Public Health Service. Established in 1987, the clearinghouse provides information about diseases of the kidneys and urologic system to people with these disorders and to their families, health care professionals, and the public. The clearinghouse answers inquiries; develops, reviews, and distributes publications; and works closely with professional and patient organizations and government agencies to coordinate resources about kidney and urologic diseases.

Publications produced by the clearinghouse are reviewed carefully for scientific accuracy, content, and readability.

This publication is not copyrighted. The clearinghouse encourages users of this fact sheet to duplicate and distribute as many copies as desired.

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Let's Talk about Bladder Control for Women is a public health awareness campaign conducted by the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NKUDIC), an information dissemination service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), National Institutes of Health.

1-800-891-5388

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NIH Publication No. 97-4186
January 1997

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