Abstract
Whether there is any association between urinary incontinence and menopause is the
subject of debate, partly due to the fact it is difficult to tell the difference between
the effects of menopause and those of ageing. For some time it was hoped that hormonal
treatment for menopause would be beneficial for urinary incontinence because there
are hormonal receptors in the urinary tract. The goal of this survey of current knowledge
on the subject is to explore thoroughly the relationship between menopause and urinary
incontinence.
Our study is based on a review of the literature dealing with the epidemiology of
urinary incontinence in women aged between 45 and 60, and the effects of hormonal
treatment with respect to the symptoms of involuntary loss of urine.
Analysis of the epidemiological data drawn from large cohorts shows that on the one
hand, the menopause has little if any impact on the risk of urinary incontinence,
and on the other hand that the effects of oestrogen medication on urinary incontinence
vary according to how it is administered and the type of incontinence. The effect
of oral hormone treatments for menopause is rather negative with respect to stress
incontinence. Vaginal treatment appears to be beneficial for overactive bladder symptoms.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: October 29, 2012
Accepted:
October 12,
2012
Received:
October 8,
2012
Identification
Copyright
© 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
