Bladder weakness
Another sign of the menopause described is an increased urge to urinate, which can even lead to bladder weakness. The urge to urinate is caused by the filling of the bladder and the associated stretching of stretch receptors in the bladder wall on the one hand, and by irritating substances in the urine on the other. When the oestrogen level drops during menopause, the body notices these irritating substances earlier and thus tends to send the signal urge to urinate to the brain.
If a woman has already had a number of pregnancies, births or lower abdominal operations, the pelvic floor may also weaken. The pelvic floor consists of a strong muscle layer which is responsible, among other things, for completely closing the urethra (this is also called continence). If there is a loosening in this area, urine can flow from the bladder along the urethra without any barriers and cause the woman to wet herself unintentionally. In most cases this is a so-called stress incontinence, i.e. under stress (sneezing, laughing, running, climbing stairs) the woman loses control of the closure of her urethra and some of the urine flows out unhindered.
Osteoporosis
A particularly important aspect of the menopause is the increasing risk of osteoporosis (bone loss) due to falling estrogen levels. This is a shift in the balance between bone formation and bone resorption; more bone is now being resorbed. A distinction is made between the primary and secondary form (age-related osteoporosis) of osteoporosis, with menopausal women suffering mainly from the primary form.
Due to the increasingly weakened bone structure, even minor injuries (such as a seemingly banal fall in everyday life) can lead to bone fractures or fractures. However, before a fracture (bone fracture) has occurred, the osteoporosis is almost symptomless.
