Madhee Moseman:: P6:: aging affecting bladder

How Aging Affects Your Bladder

Some age-related changes, such as gray hair and wrinkles, are obvious. But other shifts are occurring inside your body with each passing year. Your bladder and urinary system change with age, often in ways that aren’t desirable. Understanding these changes and taking steps to cope can improve your health. Infections Are Still Common. Roughly 10 percent of postmenopausal women experience a urinary tract infection each year. This rate isn’t as high as for younger women, 17 percent of whom report having a UTI every year. But the symptoms among older women can be different. According to a recent study in Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, older women are more likely to experience strong urges to urinate, leakage, and lower back and abdominal pain. Meanwhile, younger women urinate more frequently and are more likely to feel pain and burning when they do so. To ward off these painful infections, drink plenty of water—six to eight 8-ounce glasses per day—and wear cotton underwear. Women should wipe from front to back after using the toilet and should empty the bladder after sexual relations.

 

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0005971.html