What Are the Treatments for Urinary Urgency From Menopause?

Urinary urgency, commonly referred to as overactive bladder, is feeling the need to urinate frequently. Most often, it is a sudden urge to urinate that may not be controlled. This is an embarrassing condition for those who suffer from it, and it can affect other aspects of your life, such as social activities and work. There are known causes of the condition, as well as treatment available to those who need it.

Risk Factors

• Urinary urgency is experienced by millions of women who have entered menopause. The risk of urinary urgency increase in women during menopause. However, there are other factors that cause the condition.

Causes

• Urinary urgency can result from bladder conditions, urinary-tract infections, kidney stones, constipation, genetics, and other disorders that inhibit urine from exiting the body. Also, when women begin menopause, they may experience urinary urgency along with the many other discomforts of menopause.

Symptoms

• There are several frustrating symptoms that accompany urinary urgency. Urinating as many as eight or more times a day is not unusual. With frequent urination, sleep is often disrupted, which can effect the stability of suffers. If the condition is not treated, depression and emotional distress may also develop.

Diagnostic Testing

• If you are experiencing the symptoms of overactive bladder, see your doctor so that she can test for the condition. Testing will include an evaluation of medical history, a physical examination, urine samples and other specialized tests.

Treatment

• Once overactive bladder has been diagnosed, your doctor will discuss various treatment options. He may combine treatments in order to solve urinary urgency more quickly. Treatment can include lifestyle changes, medication and surgery. Lifestyle changes such as eating more fiber, limiting soda consumption, scheduling urination trips, exercising pelvic muscles and losing weight are actions that you can practice daily to treat and prevent urinary urgency.

  Your doctor may also prescribe medication to relax the bladder and ensure that muscles do not contract to create the urgency feeling. However, women with menopause are experiencing numerous changes and may not respond to medication. In that case, your doctor may perform surgery to alleviate pressure on your bladder.