Hot Flashes & Bladder Problems

Hot flashes and bladder problems are symptoms of menopause. Women go through menopause between the ages of 40 and 65. Menopause is the time in a woman's life when her body is changing and preparing to no longer menstruate. During this time, the female hormones start to fluctuate and this can lead to uncomfortable conditions, including hot flashes and bladder problems such as cystitis.

Symptoms

• Adverse symptoms of menopause are due to changes in the hormones that your body is producing, such as the amount of estrogen produced in the ovaries. The physical symptoms of menopause vary for each woman. Your periods may become irregular. You may experience hot flashes. Your genital area may become drier and the membranes become thinner due to the change in estrogen levels being produced, which can lead to bladder problems. You might feel lethargic and tired. You may gain weight. Osteoporosis and heart disease become two common health problems during and after menopause.

Hot Flashes

• During menopause you may experience hot flashes. While having a hot flash, your body will suddenly become hot and sweaty for about 30 seconds or up to 10 minutes. Your face may become red and you may have red splotches on the upper body and arms. Hot flashes can wake you from sleep; these are called night sweats.

Solution

• To reduce the incidence of hot flashes, eat more soy based food, according to the National Institute on Aging. The phytoestrogens in soy foods are similar to estrogen and seem to help reduce menopause symptoms, especially hot flashes. Foods high in phytoestrogens are cereals, flaxseed, oats, tofu, tempeh, soy burgers, legumes, soymilk, soybeans, soy flour and soy proteins.

  Due to the lessening amount of the female hormones, estrogen and progestin, your doctor may advise Menopausal Hormone Therapy or MHT. Taking hormones can reduce a lot of the menopausal symptoms. There is a lot of controversy about hormone therapy and the risks of cancer associated with it.

  Low dose anti-depressants are sometimes prescribed to reduce hot flashes and mood swings.

  Take 400 international units of vitamin E as a daily supplement to reduce hot flashes.

Cystitis

• Bladder problems (cystitis) during menopause are usually due to an infection caused by bacteria being pushed up through the urethra. Symptoms of cystitis include frequent urination, burning, blood in urine, pain, fever, frequent urge to urinate or foul-smelling urine.

  The reason you may be more prone to cystits during menopause is due to your genital area becoming drier and thinner. Any type of friction on the now drier, thinner skin can irritate it, which can make sexual intercourse painful or uncomfortable. After intercourse, you may have days of discomfort from vaginitis, which basically means inflammation of the vagina. Possible infection can be introduced into the bladder.

Prevention

• To prevent cystitis during menopause, prescription vaginal hormonal creams can lubricate the vagina and thicken the bladder and vaginal walls. Drink cranberry juice and take vitamin C. Wipe from front to back, preventing bacteria from touching the urethra.

  After intercourse, take a soothing oatmeal bath. There are oatmeal bath products available in many stores or you can make your own. Cook a couple servings of oatmeal until it is quite mushy. Put it in a strainer and run it under the faucet as your bathwater is filling. Avoid hot tubs and bathwater that is too hot, as this dries out your skin even more.

  Use Vitamin E oil on your vaginal area as a sexual lubricant to relieve dryness.

  Your doctor can prescribe an estrogen cream to help with vaginal dryness and help with sexual intercourse.