Millions of women suffer with secret bladder problems every year, too embarrassed to share their weakness with anyone.  The menopause magnifies the problems which can be scary and depressing.  But the good news is that many bladder problems can be corrected through self-help measures if we have the information and tools at our fingertips.

Urinary infections

More than 50 percent of women will develop a Urinary infection during their lifetime.  These become more problematic and persistent at the time of the menopause when our tissues become vulnerable as they thin due to falling levels of oestrogen.  Once again, we can restore the balance in our body when we know how.

Emptying your bladder

As we age our bladder sometimes fails to empty fully allowing the bugs to stagnate.  We, therefore, need to give it a bit of help whilst relaxing in a sitting position on the toilet.   With your legs apart, which may not be very feminine but necessary as it is likely that after the first flow of urine, rocking gently back and forth a couple of times will encourage a second flow allowing your bladder to fully empty.

D-Mannose

Supplements containing D-Mannose, a kind of sugar related to glucose found in cranberries, peaches and other berries, are recommended to help prevent urinary tract infections.   D-Mannose has been shown in several studies to help to prevent bacteria like E.coli, from sticking to the walls of our bladder and urethra. In one study on over 300 women with a history of recurrent urinary tract infections, only 15 percent of the women on D-Mannose had a recurrent UTI compared to 20 percent in the group of women who were taking antibiotics.  They number of side effects noted was significantly lower in the D-Mannose group and, unlike antibiotics, it doesn’t kill off the good bacteria as well as the bad. (When ordering D-Mannose use the code midlifeswitch2017 to get 10% discount).

Vitamin D3

Studies, including one published in 2017, are showing that relatively high doses of vitamin D3 can help to reduce symptoms of urinary incontinence in older women.  It’s worth asking your doctor to check your levels if you are experiencing some leakage.

Phytoestrogen

Additionally, consuming oestrogen rich food can have benefits too.  Phytoestrogen, the oestrogen provided by mother nature in food found in soya products including milk, yoghurt, edamame beans, soya nuts, tofu as well as flaxseeds, can fool the brain into thinking we have normal circulating oestrogen.   Including these into our diet little and often throughout the day will help to restore our thinning tissues over time.  More about how to do this can be found in my latest book Beat Menopause the Natural Way and the accompanying film Get Fit for Midlife.