The 18th October is World Menopause Day, an annual celebration day that focuses on raising awareness for the health concerns of women experiencing this significant life stage we know as ‘The Menopause’.
Today marks an opportunity for us to share some knowledge with you around why the menopause can lead to bladder weakness and how best to adjust to this new life stage. Many women feel that bladder leaks is simply something to have to put up with as part of the ageing process, but we’re here to tell you no!
What is Menopause?
Menopause is a natural life stage which is defined as the point at which a woman has stopped having periods for a total of 12 months1. This generally occurs between 45-55 years of age, although this can vary. Common symptoms of the menopause can include:
- Hot flushes
- Mood disturbances
- Weight gain
- Loss of libido
- Vaginal dryness
- Anxiety
- Continence issues such as bladder weakness
This list is of course not exhaustive, in fact there can be up to 34 different menopausal symptoms, none of which are particularly enjoyable! All women will go through the menopause eventually, and some of us will experience more of these symptoms than others, but over 50% of all women experiencing menopause will suffer from either urge or stress incontinence as a result2.
Why does the menopause cause bladder weakness?
Menopause causes your ovaries to stop producing oestrogen, the hormone responsible for not only controlling monthly periods, but keeping your bladder and urethra healthy. The pelvic floor muscle surrounding the bladder also requires oestrogen in order to remain healthy and tight. When oestrogen levels drop during menopause, the pelvic floor weakens.
Women’s Health and Pelvic Floor Expert Jane Wake explains, “The pelvic floor muscles are quite possibly our body’s biggest unsung heroes. They are shaped like a hammock to hold the pelvic organs – the uterus, bowel, vagina and bladder – in place. In a nutshell a strong pelvic floor means everything is kept firmly in place and you should have full control over when, where and how often you visit the loo.”
In collaboration with Jane Wake, we developed this short video which demonstrates how women experiencing the menopause can strengthen the pelvic floor muscles themselves by doing core strengthening exercises at home.
“The good news is that there is no need for women to continue suffering in silence and putting up with this – the pelvic floor muscles can be restored thanks to INNOVO. The INNOVO pelvic floor trainer recruits all the muscles of the pelvic floor to treat the root cause of urinary incontinence rather than simply masking the symptoms. With 180 full contractions per second, you can literally feel the entire pelvic floor being activated without having to do anything at all, leaving no room for error. Strengthening your pelvic floor muscles is like switching on the ignition to your inner core, giving you both inner strength and outer confidence.”. Jane Wake, Women’s Health & Pelvic Floor Expert
So it’s not all doom and gloom! Like any new life stage, there are always adjustment we can make to overcome the less desirable aspects that we might be confronted with. The great news is that pelvic floor weakness brought on by the menopause is completely fixable! You can build up the muscle tone quickly and effectively, and enjoy those intimate times with our partners like we used to, with the clinically proven, non-invasive and long-lasting solution to leaks, INNOVO shorts.
How does INNOVO work to treat Menopausal Incontinence?
INNOVO's Multipath technology comfortably, safely & effortlessly strengthens the entire network of pelvic floor muscles via pain-free muscle stimulation, and treats Stress, Urge and Mixed Incontinence in both women and men.
The new INNOVO Shorts are super simple to use, just pull them on like a pair of cycling shorts, and let INNOVO do the hard work for you. Use for just 30 minutes per day, 5 days per week for up to 12 weeks in the comfort of your home, for long-lasting results.
Best of all, INNOVO is clinically proven to work:
- 93% of users saw a significant reduction in leaks after just 4 weeks3
- 86% of users were defined as dry or almost dry after 12 weeks3
- 90% of users would recommend the therapy to others4
No matter the life stage, a weak bladder is fixable. So rather than choosing a lifetime of pads, choose to enjoy life more. Take back control with INNOVO!