A symptom not often mentioned but very common in menopause is bladder leakage or female incontinence and
this may occur in as many as 70% of women.
Why do women experience urinary leakage? The vagina,
bladder, and urethra all have estrogen receptor sites. Think of these like a lock and key, with estrogen being the key that
fits in the receptor. These receptor cells are very sensitive to falling levels of estrogen. The bladder becomes more sensitive
to many stimuli, resulting in an increase in the urge to urinate.
In addition, low testosterone
results in diminished muscle tone, making it harder to control the muscles that allow you to hold back
the need to urinate. With these hormone deficiencies combined, they result in female incontinence and bladder leakage problems.
Bio-identical hormone replacement therapy can help with urinary leakage and to regain women's youthfulness of their
30's.
