Can Hormonal Imbalance Cause Urinary Incontinence?
Are you one of the millions of people who suffer from urinary incontinence? If so, did you know that hormonal imbalance may be to blame?
In this blog post, we’ll explore the link between hormone imbalance and urinary incontinence and offer some solutions for how to get your hormones back in balance. Keep reading to learn more!
Urinary Incontinence and Hormonal Imbalance: What’s the Connection?
Did you know that women who experience hormone imbalance are at a significantly increased risk of developing urinary incontinence?
This is because urinary incontinence is caused by weak pelvic floor muscles. These muscles get weaker when their estrogen levels get too low, so it logically follows that estrogen-dominant hormone imbalance in women can lead to urinary incontinence.
Studies have found that, when estrogen drops in menopausal women (or in women who’ve had a hysterectomy), their risk of developing urinary incontinence also increases. Again, this occurs because estrogen is needed to keep the pelvic muscles strong.
In addition to estrogen, progesterone is also known to support pelvic floor strength. Studies have shown that women who use progesterone cream or take a progesterone supplement experience increased urinary control and relief from incontinence.
Urinary incontinence can also be caused by a lack of serotonin in the brain. As you may know, serotonin is a neurotransmitter that carries signals between nerve cells. The production of serotonin can be disrupted by estrogen dominance, which has been found to cause urinary incontinence.
Here are 5 key points about hormonal imbalance and urinary incontinence
1: Hormonal imbalance may play a role in urinary incontinence.
2: Menopause is associated with an increase in the risk of urinary incontinence, which also increases over time after menopause. This can be due to lower estrogen levels or changes to other hormones involved in bladder control
3: Keeping a healthy weight may reduce the risk of developing or worsening urinary incontinence.
4: Exercise and Pelvic floor exercises can increase bladder control.
5: Estrogen therapy has been shown to improve urinary incontinence, but it is not a cure.
When levels of estrogen drop in menopausal women, the following can occur
- Pelvic muscles may become weak
- Decreased bladder control when coughing, sneezing or laughing
- Loss of urine when excessively lifting something heavy
- A decrease in daytime urinary frequency and nighttime urinary frequency.
This is why women who experience menopause may notice that they suddenly begin experiencing urinary incontinence.
Because it may be caused by lower estrogen levels, taking progesterone supplementation or using a topical progesterone cream has been shown to improve urinary control and reduce the risk of developing urinary incontinence.
