When women get older & approach menopause, it can affect their urinary tract & sexual health. Some symptoms women may experience are uncomfortable side effects such as UTI’s, hot flashes & vaginal dryness. What can you do to manage menopause & the side effects? We have some natural & affordable treatments for you to try out!
Menopause & Urinary Tract Infections
What is menopause? Menopause is a natural decline in hormones when a woman reaches her 40s or 50s. One important hormone is estrogen. Estrogen has shown that it helps the urinary tract’s ability to control urination. According to the Urogynecology of Colorado University, “The lack of estrogen weakens the bladder (which holds urine) and the urethra, the tube that carries urine out of the body. Reduced estrogen also alters the acidity of the vulva and the vagina, which can make the area more prone to infection by bacteria.”
One way to help prevent UTI’s is by drinking plenty of water & maintain good hygiene. Water can help to flush out the bacteria from the bladder wall. However, water will not get rid of a UTI if you have one already. If you have a UTI, go to your nearest Walk-In Clinic and get antibiotics. Only antibiotics will help to stop the spread & remove the bad bacteria from the bladder. Take a daily UTI preventative such as our Cran-B-Pac® which can help maintain a healthy urinary tract. Cranberry supplements are more effective than cranberry juice which are high in sugar & calories.
For women who are interested in learning more about how hormones can affect your mental health, click here.
Urinary Incontinence
With age, the bladder can lose its elasticity which means you may have to use the bathroom more frequently, even going multiple times at night. Sometimes, you may not even make it to the bathroom and leak a little. This can lead to other health concerns such as chronic fatigue, dehydration & high anxiety. This is known as Urinary Incontinence and affects over 30 million Americans today.
There are 6 types of urinary incontinence – stress, urge (overactive bladder), mixed, overflow, and functional.
- Stress incontinence is when there is pressure on the bladder such as when you exercise, sneezing, coughing, or heavy objects. You may have little to moderate bladder leaks.
- Urge incontinence (also known as overactive bladder) is when you feel a strong urge to urinate. You may also have little to moderate bladder leaks.
- Mixed incontinence is a combination of both stress & urge incontinence.
- Overflow incontinence is when your bladder never completely empties. This can lead to more recurrent UTI’s because the urine in the bladder can increase the bacteria grown there.
- Functional incontinence is when you may have an illness or disability preventing you from staying dry.
How We Can Help
Having urinary incontinence can also cause urinary tract infections & other health concerns. Incontinence is not a normal part of aging and is treatable. Give our pharmacist a quick call! We can discuss natural treatments that can help to reduce urinary tract infections & bladder leaks.
Here at ND Labs, Inc, our pharmacist created a patented liquid supplement to help reduce bladder leaks & urges called Rejoice®. Having UTI’s and/or bladder leaks can be very frustrating. We want you to live your best life. Contact us for more information and to get free samples!
Sources:
https://www.verywellhealth.com/menopause-vaginal-urinary-tract-changes-3520881
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog-not-againt-when-utis-wont-quit-at-midlife-201509258353
