Menopause Bladder and Bowel Control Problems

“You should not ignore these problems because without help, they rarely go away and usually get worse over time. They can interfere with work, social activities…”.1

Umbrella

What may the Menopause Bladder and Bowel Control Problems Umbrella include?

Depending on the Source (DotS) this Umbrella may include:

  • Bladder Control
  • Bowel Control
  • Continence
  • Incontinence
  • Light Bladder Leakage (LBL)
  • Menopause Incontinence
  • Urinary Control

Menopause

Is there an association between menopause and bladder and bowel control?

In Women: Menopause – Menopause and Continence the Continence Foundation of Australia elaborate on:

“There are a few ways that menopause can impact your bladder and bowel control. These include:

  • Weak pelvic floor muscles…
  • A less elastic bladder…
  • Vaginal dryness…
  • Weight gain…
  • Other health problems…
  • Hysterectomy…
  • Anal trauma / surgery…”.2

Symptoms

What are the most common incontinence symptoms?

In Women: Menopause – Menopause and Continence: Symptoms the Continence Foundation of Australia explain:

Menopause Bladder and Bowel Control Problems“During menopause, passing urine frequently and the urgent need to pass urine are the most common incontinence symptoms. Other symptoms include:

  • Leakage of urine with coughs, sneezes, or exercise
  • Leakage of urine on the way to the toilet
  • Getting up one or more times per night to pass urine (nocturia)
  • Frequent urinary tract infections
  • Rushing to the toilet to open bowels
  • Being unable to control wind
  • Constipation”.3

In Menopause: Symptoms – Common Menopausal Symptoms the (United Kingdom) NHS also note common menopausal symptoms include:

  • “…Recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs)…”.4

Urinary Tract Infection

What is a urinary tract infection (UTI)?

DotS the definition of a UTI may vary. The (Australian) Jean Hailes for Women’s Health’s (JH) definition is:

“A urinary tract infection (UTI) is a common infection that can affect your:

  • Bladder (Cystitis)
  • Urethra (Urethritis)
  • Kidneys (Pyelonephritis)”.5

In Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs): What Is A UTI? the JH also note:

“The most common type of UTI in women is  an infection of the bladder (cystitis)”.6

Diary

Menopause Bladder and Bowel Control ProblemsMay keeping a diary be helpful?

Yes. In Talking To Your Doctor About Incontinence: How To Talk To Your Doctor About Incontinence the (United States) National Association for Continence (NAFC) elaborate on:

“By keeping a bladder or bowel diary, you are not only educating and informing yourself, you are assuming responsibility for playing a role in getting diagnosed correctly”.7

Diary Information

What important information should a diary contain?

In Talking To Your Doctor About Incontinence: How To Talk To Your Doctor About Incontinence the NAFC explain:

“Share your bladder diary or bowel diary with your physician or nurse. It should contain such important information as:

  • Recorded toilet habits over a 2 day period
  • A list of everything you ate and drank
  • Any nighttime trips to the bathroom? How many?
  • Note the strength of urine flow
  • Any accidents? What happened to cause them?

You might discover more than one set of symptoms and thus face multiple solutions. The point is to create a record of all the symptoms in a context that will be helpful to your doctor in reaching a diagnosis”.8

Helpline

May some Countries have a national continence/incontinence Helpline?

Yes. Your Country may have a Helpline similar to the Continence Foundation of Australia’s National Continence Helpline.

Toilet Maps, Cards or Apps

May some Countries have toilet maps, cards or Apps?

Yes. Your Country may have a toilet map similar to Australia’s National Public Toilet Map: About the Toilet Map which:

“The National Public Toilet Map shows the location of more than 23,000 public and private public facilities across Australia, including toilets, adult change and baby care. Information is provided about each toilet, such as location, accessibility details, opening hours and features like sharps disposal and showers”.9

Or your Country may have a card or App similar to the (United Kingdom) Bladder & Bowel Community’s (B&B) Free Just Can’t Wait Toilet Card.

Health Care Provider

What if I think I have menopause bladder or bowel control problems?

If you think you have menopause bladder or bowel control problems, it may be in your best interest to choose to talk to your health care provider about this.

The Continence Foundation of Australia encourage us to seek help and explain:


Menopause Bladder and Bowel Control Problems“You should not ignore these problems because without help, they rarely go away and usually get worse over time. They can interfere with work, social activities, as well as sexual and personal relationships”.10

Health Topics A-Z

Where may I find Health Topics A-Z related to Menopause Bladder and Bowel Control Problems?

In Health Topics A-Z you may find:

Health Topics A-Z

Links

Where may I find Links related to Menopause Bladder and Bowel Control Problems?

Your Country may have Links similar to:

Links

This Links List to third party websites is neither comprehensive nor exhaustive. Inclusion on this Links List does not imply endorsement or recommendation. Non-inclusion on this Links List does not imply non-endorsement or non-recommendation. Third party websites are not under the control of Meno Martha International Menopause Directory. Third party websites may contain explicit medical images and/or sexual references. Please read Meno Martha International Menopause Directory’s Links Policy before proceeding to a Link. Please contact Webmaster if you experience a problem with a Link.

New or Updated

  1. 5 Steps You Can Take Now To Improve Bladder Health
  2. ACOG Explains: Managing Menopause Symptoms [American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists]
  3. BMS TV: Urogenital Atrophy
  4. Bladder Health
  5. Bladder Control Problems: How To Seek Treatment
  6. Bladder Control: Lifestyle Strategies Ease Problems
  7. Bladder Issues Common for Women of All Ages [+ Video Courtesy: Mayo Clinic News Network. Name Super/CG: Olivia Cardenas-Trowers, M.D./Gynecology/Mayo Clinic]
  8. Bladder Leakage: Fact Versus Fiction
  9. Bladder Retraining and Keeping A Blabber Diary
  10. Bladder Training: Tips and Techniques To Regain Control
  11. Bladderandbowel.org [Bladder & Bowel Community, United Kingdom]
  12. Bladderhealthuk.org [Bladder Health UK]
  13. Bowel
  14. Bowel Control Problems [Fecal Incontinence]
  15. Bowel Control Problems [Fecal Incontinence]: Eating, Diet, & Nutrition for Faecal Incontinence – What Should I Avoid Eating If I have Faecal Incontinence? Keeping A Food Diary
  16. Bowel Control: Symptoms & Types
  17. Bowel Incontinence
  18. Bowel Incontinence
  19. Bowel Problems, Conditions & Symptoms
  20. Consumer Video and Podcast Series: 2024 Consumer Videos and Podcasts – Preparing for Your Menopause Health Care Visit
  21. Continence Foundation of Australia
  22. Continence Health: Bladder
  23. Continence Health: Bowel
  24. Continence Product Advisor
  25. Continence Worldwide
  26. Cystitis
  27. Cystitis
  28. Diet and Exercise
  29. FAQs: Urinary Incontinence
  30. Fecal Incontinence: Diagnosis & Treatment
  31. Fecal Incontinence: Symptoms, Treatment and Prevention
  32. Find A Menopause Practitioner [United States and Other]
  33. Find An AMS Member [Australasian Menopause Society i.e. Australia and New Zealand]
  34. Find Your Nearest BMS Menopause Specialist [British Menopause Society]
  35. Fistula
  36. Foods and Drinks That Can Irritate Your Bladder
  37. From Leaking Urine To Sudden Urges To Go: An Ob-Gyn Talks Bladder Control Problems
  38. Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause [Video]
  39. Glossary
  40. Here’s What You Need To Know About Menopause [Video]
  41. How To Exercise Without Wetting Yourself
  42. How To Talk To Your Doctor About Bladder Leakage
  43. How To Talk To Your Doctor About Bladder Leaks
  44. Incontinence Diaries: Using A Bladder Diary or Bowel Diary
  45. Incontinence Information In Other Languages
  46. Incontinence: Bowel [Video]
  47. Intake and Voiding Diary
  48. International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders
  49. Later Years (Around 50 Years and Over): Menopause and Post Menopause Health – Signs and Symptoms of Menopause [+ Video: Talking Menopause With Your GP] [Other Languages and Formats]
  50. Life With Incontinence: Continence Products
  51. Low Estrogen Bladder Symptoms and Treatment
  52. Managing Incontinence In Perimenopause & Menopause
  53. Mayo Clinic Minute: Perimenopause and Menopause [+ Video Courtesy: Mayo Clinic News Network]
  54. Menopause
    Menopause Bladder and Bowel Control Problems
  55. Menopause Checklist Podcast: Episode 1: A Wee Problem
  56. Menopause Map: Downloadable Resources – My Personal Path Print Tools: Questions for Your Health Care Provider
  57. Menopause Map: Downloadable Resources – My Personal Path Print Tools: Symptom Tracker
  58. Menopause: Identification and Management [NICE Guideline Published: 12 November 2015 Last Updated: 07 November 2024]
    Menopause Bladder and Bowel Control Problems
  59. Menopause: Identification and Management: NICE Guideline [NG23] Published: 12 November 2015 Last Updated: 07 November 2024
  60. Menopause: Understanding the Changes and Finding Relief | Dr Susan Davis | The Proof Podcast EP #256
  61. Mixed Incontinence Causes and Treatments
  62. National Association for Continence [United States]
  63. Other Languages: Incontinence Information In Other Languages
  64. Overactive Bladder
  65. Overactive Bladder
  66. Pelvic Floor Disorder Awareness [+ Video]
  67. Pelvic Floor First [Continence Foundation of Australia]
  68. Pelvic Floor Health | Dr Louise Newson LIVE
  69. Pelvic Organ Prolapse
  70. Perimenopause
  71. Perimenopause and Menopause Symptom Checklist
  72. Products To Treat Adult Incontinence
  73. Products for Women
  74. Stress Urinary Incontinence In Women
  75. Symptoms of Incontinence [Bowel Incontinence]
  76. Symptoms of Menopause: Bladder, Vaginal and Vulval Problems
  77. Talking To Your Doctor About Incontinence [+ Video: Breaking Her Silence: Some Things Are Too Important To Hold In]
  78. Urinary Incontinence
  79. Urinary Incontinence
  80. Urinary Incontinence
  81. Urinary Incontinence
  82. Urinary Incontinence
  83. Urinary Incontinence Overview [+ Video: Understanding Urinary Incontinence]
  84. Urinary Incontinence – Multiply Languages
  85. Urinary Incontinence: 10 Ways To Stop Leaks
  86. Urinary Incontinence: Incontinence Products
  87. Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs)
  88. Urinary Tract Infections: Causes, Symptoms and Treatments
  89. Urinary and Pelvic Floor Conditions
  90. Vaginal Dryness
  91. Voices for PFD [Pelvic Floor Disorders]
  92. Video Series: Continence FAQs
  93. Video Series: Continence FAQs
  94. What Can You Do for An Overactive Bladder?
  95. When Does Perimenopause Start and How Do You Define the Beginning [27 November 2024]
  96. Where Do I Start?
  97. Women: Menopause – Menopause and Continence
  98. Women’s Bladder and Bowel Health Conditions
  99. World Federation for Incontinence and Pelvic Problems
  100. Videos & Podcasts: Videos – Menopause and Hormone Therapy: Current Perspectives and Controversies

Sources

Where may I find the Sources quoted?

You may find the Sources quoted at:

Sources

  1. Women: Menopause – Menopause and Continence: Symptoms. Last Updated: 29 May 2024. Last Reviewed: 01 April 2020. Continence Foundation of Australia https://www.continence.org.au/who-it-affects/women/menopause Accessed: 01 February 2025
  2. Women: Menopause – Menopause and Continence. Last Updated: 29 May 2024. Last Reviewed: 01 April 2020. Continence Foundation of Australia https://www.continence.org.au/who-it-affects/women/menopause Accessed: 01 February 2025
  3. Women: Menopause – Menopause and Continence: Symptoms. Last Updated: 29 May 2024. Last Reviewed: 01 April 2020. Continence Foundation of Australia https://www.continence.org.au/who-it-affects/women/menopause Accessed: 01 February 2025
  4. Menopause: Symptoms – Common Menopausal Symptoms. Page Last Reviewed: 17 May 2022. NHS https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/menopause/symptoms/#common-menopausal-symptoms Accessed: 01 February 2025
  5. Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs): What Is A UTI? Last Updated: 05 December 2024 | Last Reviewed: 17 January 2024. Jean Hailes for Women’s Health https://www.jeanhailes.org.au/health-a-z/bladder/urinary-tract-infections-utis-2 Accessed: 01 February 2025
  6. Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs): What Is A UTI? Last Updated: 05 December 2024 | Last Reviewed: 17 January 2024. Jean Hailes for Women’s Health https://www.jeanhailes.org.au/health-a-z/bladder/urinary-tract-infections-utis-2 Accessed: 01 February 2025
  7. Talking To Your Doctor About Incontinence: How To Talk To Your Doctor About Incontinence. National Association for Continence https://www.nafc.org/talking-to-your-doctor Accessed: 01 February 2025
  8. Talking To Your Doctor: How To Talk To Your Doctor About Incontinence. National Association for Continence https://www.nafc.org/talking-to-your-doctor Accessed: 01 February 2025
  9. National Public Toilet Map: About the Toilet Map. National Continence Program https://toiletmap.gov.au/about Accessed: 01 February 2025
  10. Women: Menopause – Menopause and Continence: Symptoms. Last Updated: 29 May 2024. Last Reviewed: 01 April 2020. Continence Foundation of Australia https://www.continence.org.au/who-it-affects/women/menopause Accessed: 01 February 2025
Topic Last Updated: 28 March 2025 – Topic Last Reviewed: 01 February 2025

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