46 y/o sudden bladder leakage :'(

[heidianna]

I’m a 46 YO woman, (and despite being here on my Mumsnet) I have no kids and have never been pregnant … In the last 6 weeks I’ve started having bladder leaks. I started noticing my underwear smelling like urine despite using wet wipes after going to the bathroom and taking frequent showers. My underwear doesn’t get extremely wet, just a bit damp, so seems like a light leak for now.

I have not been to a Dr yet, as I’m away for work but I’m trying to suss out what the problem could be. I don’t have any burning or anything that would indicate a UTI. My urine is light yellow to clear so I think I’m well hydrated. Seems like incontinence but I can’t quite tell what kind. I don’t feel a sudden uncontrollable urge to urinate, I just got as normal, although it's a bit more frequent lately. After half an hour after going to the toilet, I’ll get the slight sensation that my bladder is not quite empty and so I’ll go again but it’s only a few drops. Then I’ll notice later on that I’ve leaked more. It’s as if my bladder is never fully empty. It's worse when I walk and of course, when I drink more fluid.

I’ve been told this could be a symptom of peri menopause. Does anyone have an insight they can share with regard to this? Will it eventually go away or am I going to be leaking for the rest of my life? I am completely overwhelmed by it as generally I’m pretty healthy and it came out of nowhere. It’s going to be at least 2 months before I can see a Dr and I want to be sure I’m not doing anything to make it worse. I’ve now had to get discreet liners to stop it from wetting my underwear.

Just when I was looking forward to menopause and not having to wear pads anymore, this happens. :( I’m also recently single and was looking forward to start dating again but I cannot imagine dating with this condition.

If anyone has any valuable tips or insight, I’d greatly appreciate it!

@MardyOldGoth Yeah I'm thinking that's what it could be. But I've never really had to go to the toilet so much before in the past. Just feels like a sudden new thing. Out of curiosity - was yours an official diagnosis? And what did that process look like? Were there tests and did you see a Urologist or a Gynecologist?

@MardyOldGoth I have an overactive bladder and it's driving me mad. Can you tell me the name of the medication? I need to see my gp so if I like to be armed with info before I go.

[quote Earlydancing]@MardyOldGoth I have an overactive bladder and it's driving me mad. Can you tell me the name of the medication? I need to see my gp so if I like to be armed with info before I go.[/quote]
I'm prescribed oxybutynin, 2.5mg x3 daily. I think there are a few options though. The range of drugs for it are called anticholinergics. They stop the bladder from spasming randomly.

Hope you get the right treatment! 💐

[quote heidianna]@MardyOldGoth Yeah I'm thinking that's what it could be. But I've never really had to go to the toilet so much before in the past. Just feels like a sudden new thing. Out of curiosity - was yours an official diagnosis? And what did that process look like? Were there tests and did you see a Urologist or a Gynecologist?[/quote]
Mine came on suddenly for no obvious reason! 🙄 GP diagnosed it after ruling out a UTI with a urine test and perimenopause with a blood test. Put me straight on medication. Had to tweak the dose a bit but it started helping immediately.

Hope you have a similar positive outcome! 💐

Thank you. We went out for the day yesterday and really it was just a walk from one public toilet to another! And I couldn't even do anything when I got there.
Thanks for the information. x

@GingerFigs Sorry you're experiencing it too! I'll keep this space updated with my progress. Hope it helps and hope you get relief soon! xx

@Earlydancing I'm so sorry to hear that! I hope you get treatment that helps soon! xx

I'm in Ireland OP but our health service follows NHS guidelines - it literally says on the website it's taken from the NHS. So just go to your GP and get sorted. Vagifem or Ovestin or both as a PP said. You might look at a symptoms checker for peri, I'd be surprised if you only had one. I have many that I didn't realise were symptoms, and I'm about to start HRT. I just started Vagifem 10 days ago and have had lots of nights where I don't have to get up to go to the loo in the middle of the night which is lovely!

@Deux It's been hard to tell as I wasn't really noticing it at first (when the leak itself happened, but I was noticing the odor in my underwear). I just finished my cycle a few days ago and it seems to be happening more since but that could also be because that's when I actually started to notice it as a real thing and started wearing discreet / pads which seems to make it more obvious when it's happening (the feeling of it). Still even the pads don't feel super wet but it's the smell that gives away that there's a leak more than anything. I am starting today to do a diary to keep track of what happens and when.

@MardyOldGoth it's great to know that the meds help. Has it stopped the leaks or just the urge?

@Apileofballyhoo thanks for the tip about the peri symptoms checker. I will look into this. I really hadn't considered it. I have been feeling very fatigued and I have developed vestibular issues but I have chalked this up to long covid (I caught Covid in March of 2020 and then just general pandemic trauma / stress and age/work. I will get my hormones checked again and will definitely contact my GP as soon as I get back.

@heidianna there were times when it felt constant (like weeks at a time) and then it stopped for whatever reason...and then started again another time. I never got as far as a diagnosis because life in general was very difficult at the time so it was just one more thing I needed to sort out, and I never did...but I've not had it now for a year or so, apart from one isolated incident a month back when luckily I was at home.

Unexpectedly, being more hydrated was really helpful, for about six months I was drinking the required 2l a day of water, and I remember thinking it was going to be a nightmare but bizarrely the opposite was true...we truly are mystical l beings us women

Not really, like you, I started noticing my underwear smelled like wee. Initially I thought maybe I’m not paying attention when I wipe, maybe my pelvic floor has weakened (I run and lift weights, I thought it might be the effort).
Then my hair started falling out in clumps. Then I couldn’t sleep. I thought I was depressed, to be honest. Then my eyes got really, and I mean really dry, seriously uncomfortable. Then I had these weird thoughts, like, I could just crash the car and be done with life, I had enough. Or, ‘I really don’t care if I get ran over right now’. Which is bizarre and totally out of character for me. Another thing, I lost all enthusiasm and energy for everything. Literally could not be arsed, nothing really gave me any joy or sadness or interested me. I put on 10 kg in like 4 months?
Then it occurred to me it’s got to be something else.

Yes, got HRT through NHS. I asked for a lady GP, waited 7 weeks for a phone consultation. I explained I have a coil, so no periods, but I have all of the above symptoms. She sent me for blood tests but was convinced I’m peri menopausal, so she prescribed me oestrogen gel there and then.
I can’t explain what a game changer that’s been.

At my practice, everyone I spoke to, and has seen a male GP, got either brushed off or prescribed antidepressants(it’s a rather small community and most of my friends and acquaintances are roughly my age). So I avoided that.
HTH

When you see the GP ask for a referral to a women's health physio. Mine has been a godsend. I have this issue (amongst others) and was doing pelvic floor exercises and my physio says this was the wrong thing for me as my pelvic floor is very tight. She could give you an exam and let you know whether there's some kind of pelvic floor issue.
I'm also using vagifem and am on HRT. I had a lot of peri symptoms that weren't the obvious hot flushes, so this is also worth looking into. I think I had vaginal atrophy for a long time before getting HRT and I really regret that I didn't know to ask for it.

Forgot to say I'd also ask the GO to do swabs to rule out any infection and thrush

When your estrogen levels start to dip your vagina thins and is less lubricated. Unfortunately some women do experience mild incontinence but those who go on to hrt can see reverse of symptoms. I just drink plenty of water and use a pants liner which is thin and discrete. Not drinking enough can make it worse. Obviously get checked out for water infection too.

I have terrible issues with needing the loo and having to go very quickly . As previously mentioned, it will happen for several days or weeks in a row then go back to normal.
I find coffee too be really bad for making this worse.
It is hard to determine whether it’s a UTI or vaginal atrophy or thrush. My doctor is utterly useless so I feel very left on my own in dealing with it.

[quote heidianna]@MardyOldGoth it's great to know that the meds help. Has it stopped the leaks or just the urge?[/quote]
Thankfully I hadn't got as far as leaks (I was in my late 20s when the problem first started) but it's definitely reduced the urges! Made me much more confident and stopped me being reclusive out of fear. Was able to return to a normal life without knowing where every public toilet was and having to excuse myself from meetings every half hour.

@lululongdog thank you for the tip about the water. I did read this would help but I was worried about more leakage so had been avoiding it but funnily enough, last night I had a lot of water and have noticed a slight improvement. Our bodies are indeed a wonder! I'm hoping drinking water continues to help it. I am dying for a coffee though, which I know will make it worse! 😩

@AnastasiaRomanov I'm so sorry you're dealing with this and yourr Dr is not being helpful. That must be so frustrating. Did you ask them if they can refer you to a specialist? I hope you get proper help and treatment soon! xx

@ImAvingOops thanks so much for this suggestion - this is really good to know! I'm starting to feel like this has to be peri related and I want to be sure I'm getting the right specialist to look at it.

@BuddhaAtSea thanks so much for sharing these details, it really helps me to know what to watch out for and what to ask for when I speak to the GP. I'm so sorry you went through all this. I have been experiencing very similar things...Very deep dips in mood, energy and motivation ... feels like all the joy has been sucked out of my life and my thoughts can do dark. This been going on for about 2 years now so I assumed all along it was long Covid and/or general pandemic trauma / stress but now I'm thinking this could be more hormonal. Thank you for giving me a reference point and things to continue to look out for.

@caringcarer thank you for this. It's comforting to know I'm not alone and that this is potentially reversible.

I had something like this in my mid 40s and saw the GP.
I had gotten into the habit of going for a wee once an hour at work to get my fitbit steps and to break the day up. This was weakening my bladder and so I had to 'train' my bladder by holding off weeing and trying to just go around 5 times a day. I also cut out all caffeine and acidy drinks. It was hard to do but its 98% back to normal now (and I am back on the caffeine and diet coke).

@refreshingseahorse this is so encouraging to hear! In the last 24 hours, I've been drinking more water and holding off going to the loo and so far the situation hasn't gotten worse, so that's encouraging. Also VERY encouraging to hear that you were able to get back on coffee. Coffee is my thing and the thought of never drinking it again is depressing. I'm hoping I can at least get back to a decaf every couple of days in the near(ish) future!