8 Truths About Menopause and Your Bladder

Argh! Unfortunately, changes to our bladder habits are rarely talked about openly, and yet for many of us leaks and urgency are one of them ost disruptive - and frankly embarrassing - symptoms we experience in menopause. So let’s take a closer look at these truths about menopause and your bladder…

1. Your oestrogen drops off a cliff - and your bladder knows it

As oestrogen levels drop during perimenopause and menopause, your bladder, urethra, and pelvic floor are left without the hormonal support they've had for decades. The tissues become thinner, less elastic, and more prone to irritation. Everything gets more sensitive and easily bothered (much like our levels of irritation, too!) 

2. You start to feel like you are on a loo-leash

It starts with a ‘I’ll just nip to the loo’ and suddenly, you realise you’re checking how close you are to a toilet at every possible moment. Cinema? End of the row seat. Supermarket? You know exactly where the customer toilets are - it's the loo-leash we're all too familiar with. That little ‘gotta-go’ warning you used to get before a wee? That’s now a ten-second countdown to an impending leaky disaster.

3. Leaks happen - and it’s not your fault

Stress incontinence  the one that causes you to leak when you cough, sneeze, laugh or jump) becomes far more common in menopause. It’s not because we’re suddenly lazy or doing something wrong - it’s because our pelvic floor becomes weaker as we age. Childbirth, ageing, and now the loss of oestrogen combine to cause leaks and incontinence. 

4. Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause (GSM) is a thing

Genitourinary Syndrome of the Menopause (GSM) refers to the spectrum of changes to your vulva, vagina, and urinary system thanks to the lack of oestrogen. That includes vaginal dryness, irritation, more frequent UTIs, and changes in pee habits. It can make you feel like you’ve lost ‘control’ of your entire pelvic area. But here’s the good bit: GSM is treatable. Vaginal oestrogen, moisturisers, and other therapies can make a huge difference. 

5. You pee more often – or even suddenly

Urgency and frequency can creep up on you - one minute everything is fine, and then the creeping urgency starts to build more frequently until you are planning your life around the loo. And then there’s urge incontinence - where you suddenly need to wee so badly that you barely make it to the toilet (if you do at all). It’s all tied into those changing tissues and signals from your bladder that are now slightly off-kilter and need some help. Medication, supplementation and ultimately surgery might be necessary to support your bladder. 

6. UTIs can become a familiar enemy

Thanks to hormonal changes, your urethra becomes more vulnerable to bacteria. That can mean more urinary tract infections - and sometimes, that burning feeling without an actual infection, just inflammation. Either way - it’s sore, annoying, and often brushed off as “just one of those things”. It isn’t. It needs care and attention. 

7. There’s no shame in pads, but there is help

If you’re padding up to manage leaks, you’re not alone. But you also don’t have to settle for managing symptoms without looking into treatment. Pelvic floor physio, supplementation, HRT, bladder training, and vaginal oestrogen are all options, and in the meantime don’t forget that leakproof pants can be a gamechanger to keeping you dry and confident. 

8. You don’t have to just live with it

This is the most important truth of all and something we feel so passionate about, at Jude. We’ve grown up in a culture that tells women to “just get on with it” and “suck it up” - but we don’t have to accept bladder changes as our new normal. Ask your GP for help, push for a referral, and demand better care. Because this isn’t just about weeing more often - it’s about dignity, confidence, and feeling in control of your body again.

Community can be the gamechanger we all need...

Bladder changes in menopause are so common - but they’re also so under-discussed. And we deserve more than embarrassment and panty liners. We deserve knowledge, support, and real solutions. So if this is happening to you, know this: you’re not on your own - our fantastic Jude and Friends Community has over 25,000 members who are all discussing bladder issues too. Come and join us, and let’s talk about it.