You may not be too bothered by some of the symptoms of menopause.  Hot flashes…no problem.  Weight gain…not really an issue.  There is, however, something particularly irksome about not being able to control your bladder.  Many menopausal women discover, to their dismay, that they no longer have the bladder control they used to.

The three most common forms of bladder incontinence are urge incontinence, overflow incontinence, and stress incontinence.  Urge incontinence is when a woman loses most control of her bladder, with it simply releasing urine on its own in spite of the woman’s attempts to control it.  Overflow incontinence is characterized by a loss of sensation that the bladder is full, resulting in the bladder releasing urine before the woman realizes she needs to urinate.  Stress incontinence is the most common form to menopausal women, and is characterized by unintended bladder leakage when a woman coughs or sneezes or otherwise puts pressure on the bladder.  It is important to note that any form of incontinence should be discussed with your doctor.

There are a few factors that may increase the odds of experiencing menopausal incontinence.  Some studies suggest that hormone replacement therapy will make a woman more likely to have trouble controlling her bladder, while other studies cite a twice as likely chance that a diabetic woman will suffer from incontinence during menopause.  Another factor researchers have suggested is perhaps the method of labor a woman used if she had children.  Apparently, women who had vaginal labors are more likely than women who delivered by cesarean to eventually have bladder issues when they reach menopausal age.

Menopausal incontinence isn’t just annoying, but it can be so devastating to a woman’s psyche that it leads to social withdrawal.  It is not uncommon to fear that everyone around her knows that she has an issue with bladder control, and for some women this proves to be enough of a stressor to force them to withdraw from social situations.  Take heed: you are not the only one with this problem.  Literally millions of people are experiencing the same things you are going through, and it is also pretty safe to say that nobody will notice your problem if you take proper precautions.

So what can be done? Some women are so bothered by bladder control problems that they assume drinking less liquid is the solution, but in fact this practice can lead to other sorts of problems such as infections and dehydration.  It is important to keep drinking plenty of liquids, even if you don’t care for the method by which your bladder chooses to expel it.  Conversely, too much water may result in bladder spasms, so don’t go overboard in your attempt to stay hydrated.  Relief may come in the form of medication, pelvic exercises, or in the most extreme cases surgery may be recommended.

Sometimes bladder control problems are a result of an infection, as opposed to being a result of menopause, so it is essential that you discuss this with your doctor.  It would be a shame to simply accept the incontinence as a byproduct of menopause if it is actually stems from something else completely treatable.  Remember, not all menopausal women develop bladder problems. 

For some women it may simply be a matter of enduring this inconvenience for a while.  There are a myriad of products available in stores that are designed to assist people with bladder control problems (80% of which, by the way, are women), and before you envision shimmying into a pair of bulky adult diapers just know that many of the products available are quite discreet and little more than the size of a sanitary pad.  You can even order them online, thereby sidestepping the sometimes-embarrassing motions of trying to bury them in your shopping cart at the grocery store.

It may feel as though your body is rebelling against you sometimes with all the new and perplexing symptoms menopause can bring on, but try to keep a positive perspective.  You’re in what can indeed be the most fabulous time of your life, and if you have to trade a little bladder control for it then maybe that isn’t such a bad trade.