Menopausal urinary incontinence is a very common bladder problem, which occurs due to a decrease in estrogen production during this period, and the natural aging process weakens the pelvic muscles, allowing involuntary loss of urine.
This involuntary loss can begin with small amounts during efforts such as climbing stairs, coughing, sneezing or lifting weights, but if nothing is done to strengthen the perineum, incontinence will worsen and it will become increasingly difficult to retain urine, and it is necessary to use absorbent, so it is important to prevent the progression of incontinence. Learn more about stress urinary incontinence
- Treatment of menopausal urinary incontinence can be performed with a hormone replacement.
- Indicated by a gynecologist.
- By strengthening the perineum musculature or finally by surgery to correct the bladder position.
Kegel exercises, when done 5 times a day, also help prevent and treat urinary incontinence during menopause. To do this, the woman should contract the pelvic muscle, as if she were interrupting the flow of urine during urination, and hold for 3 seconds, then relax and repeat this exercise 10 times.
To do exercises that strengthen your pelvic floor muscles, which are responsible for keeping your uterus and bladder in a proper position and your vagina tighter, you should first imagine that you’re urinating and trying to contract the muscles of your vagina, as if you wanted to stop. the stream of urine.
Ideally, it is only to imagine why it is not advisable to perform this contraction by urinating because urine can return, increasing the risk of infections, other tips that can help identify how this perineal contraction should be performed are: Imagine that you suck a pea with your vagina or that you are imprisoning something inside the vagina. Inserting your finger into your vagina can help you know if you’re contracting your muscles correctly.
During the contraction of the perineum it is normal to have a small movement of the entire intimate area around the vagina and anus as well as the abdominal area, however, with training it will be possible to contract the muscles without abdominal movement.
After learning to contract these muscles, it is necessary to keep each contraction for 3 seconds and then relax completely. You must perform 10 consecutive contractions that must be maintained for 3 seconds each. You can do this exercise sitting, lying down or standing and with practice, you can do it several times during the day while doing your daily activities.
Eating less diuretic foods is one of the strategies to better retain urine, see the advice of nutritionist Tatiana Zanin indicated in the following video:
Here are some tips to prevent menopausal urinary incontinence
Another important tip is to practice exercises under the guidance of a physical preparer or physical therapist, as it is essential to maintain the contraction of the perineum while performing physical activity, especially if impact activities are performed, such as running or jumping, as they can increase the risk of menopausal urinary incontinence.