Genitourinary syndrome of menopause is the most common cause of recurrent UTIs in women after menopause.
Recurrence can also occur due to other factors such as
- not completing your antibiotic course or
- not doing a urine culture to identify the antibiotic your infection is sensitive and
- anatomical causes
TRANSCRIPT
Urine leakage or incontinence can start or worsen for some women at menopause. Often women will complain that a drop of urine used to leak out when I coughed or sneezed hard after I delivered my baby but since menopause, it leaks even when I am standing up or lifting light groceries. This is called stress urinary incontinence or SUI. You see, whenever there is an increase in our abdominal pressure, like when we sneeze, cough, or laugh, our pelvic muscles contract and prevent leakage of urine. And these muscles and the tissue surrounding them can get injured during childbirth giving rise to SUI after delivery which is mild for most women. But as you near menopause, the drop in estrogen levels results in the weakening of your pelvic muscles and they may no longer be able to control your bladder as they did before and women feel OMG…
Hi, I am 48 years old and I have been having urine urgency symptoms for the past 5 months. I did get an episode of UTI too from which I just recovered. I have visited a gynaecologist and she suggested Evalon vaginal estrogen. She suggested once or twice a week, but I used it for 6 days continuously and post that I got a severe UTI. I am into menopause already cos I dint get my period for more than 3 years now. I want to be sexually active and also avoid having frequent UTIs. My cousin who is a nephrologist suggested that I use virgin coconut oil down there locally to avoid the dryness n UTIs. I am currently very confused as to which direction I should go. Btw I got my scans and all done and the reports are normal. Can you please suggest something that can hel…
I am a 52 years old menopausal wome. I am not finding a way out of this problem of frequent urination. What should be the solution to frequent urination? As my estrogen levels became low ...I have started going to pee every hour... It's embarrassing during social gatherings plus it's inconvenient to self...which particular estrogen vaginal cream should I be using and how much?
It's very difficult to get this answer here in India as even the doctors are not fully educated on this topic ,I believe...I am highly frustrated... please help
Thank you so much for your response and guidance doctor. I have updated the post and have mentioned my age in it now...you are doing a great job of showing light to women regarding menopause as it's really not a very talked about topic ..thanks again dear
Hello Kavita,
Thank you for your message.
Estrogen cream can take 3 months to make a change in your vaginal and urinary symptoms. In addition, estriol is a milder estrogen as compared to conjugated estrogen. You may find the post on ‘Practical tips on low dose Vaginal Estrogen’ in the Sexual Health category useful as guidance.
Coconut oil can be helpful for some but it doesn’t take care of the actual cause which is low estrogen levels. If I were you, I would give low dose vaginal estrogen a shot for at least 3 months making sure that I am using the right type and dose.
But remember, it’s use is recommended as an initial and maintenance dose.
Hope this helps
Dr. Sukhpreet