THE MENO connection

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ONE OF THE MOST COMMON SYMPTOMS OF MENOPAUSE

Between hot flushes and mood swings, you would think that menopause couldn’t get any more testing. Until one day you notice your bladder isn’t holding up like it used to.

Urinary incontinence (UI) is one of those menopause symptoms no-one warns you about, yet so many of us experience it. In fact, 55 per cent of postmenopausal women have some form of the condition.

“Whilst not all cases are due to menopause, it is considered to be a significant contributor to most UI cases,” says Confidence Club consultant Sonya Meyer.

“Unfortunately, menopause and incontinence are two topics not discussed enough individually, let alone together.”

Sonya shares how the two are linked and what we can do to help minimise our symptoms.

WHY DOES IT OCCUR?

Incontinence during menopause all comes down to oestrogen. This is the hormone responsible for regulating your menstruation, which drops as we begin menopause.