A few drops drip after urinating. What about women in menopause?

There are times when older men are puzzled by the fact that a few drops of urine run down their pants even when they think they have “wiped themselves clean” after urinating. This never happened to me when I was young, but it keeps repeating itself, so it’s not uncommon for me to be concerned. How come? Are middle-aged women okay?

◆ urine droplets delayed Why? signs of ageing

The reason why men lose a few more drops of urine after urinating is some kind of aging phenomenon. The muscles around the urethra are weakened, so the urine that remains in the perineum comes out after a while. In medical terminology, we write the word “urine drop after urination.” ‘dropping’ means to drop by drops. When you’re young, the muscles around your perineum and urethra are strong, so if you use force, you can pass any urine left in your perineum and urethra to your genitals. For this, while urinating, there must be a “squeezing power”, but as we get older this power weakens.

◆ Perineal muscle strengthening action… How are Kegel exercises for men?

As we age, such as presbyopia and wrinkles, the muscles around the perineum and urethra also age, and the elasticity of the urethra decreases. To prevent a few drops of urine from soaking your pants, squeeze the remaining urine from your perineum after urinating. If the force is weak, press the perineum directly with your hand to push out the remaining urine. As usual, strength training exercises to strengthen the muscles of the perineum are also useful. It consists of repeating the workout of contracting the muscles around the anus and perineum for a few seconds and then releasing them. It’s similar to a kind of Kegel exercise that many middle-aged women do.

◆ Urinary incontinence when laughing or sneezing… Another concern of menopausal women

In middle-aged women, unlike men, the urethra comes out of the bladder and goes only down, and the length is also short, so there is no urine left after urinating. Therefore, there is little urine that comes out late. However, there are more difficult symptoms. It’s urinary incontinence. Stress urinary incontinence, in which urine leaks when the stomach is tense, such as when laughing or sneezing, makes life uncomfortable. As we age, the pelvic floor muscles weaken and the function of the urethra decreases. Childbirth, obesity and menopause are known to be the main causes.

◆ Pelvic muscle exercise, how?

Regular exercise to strengthen the muscles around the pelvis can ease the symptoms of urinary incontinence. These are the so-called Kegel exercises. Helps strengthen the large pelvic muscles that support the bladder, uterus, vagina and rectum. It is to lift the anus and squeeze it with the sensation of holding a fart, count to five and then slowly release the force. At this time, the force should not go into the hip or leg muscles.

◆ Eating legumes often helps… the reason is?

To prevent stress urinary incontinence, you need to quit smoking. Smoking can cause coughing and irritate the bladder. Severe constipation can increase abdominal pressure and aggravate symptoms. During menopause, it is good to eat foods that supplement the female hormones that are missing. Beans contain phytoestrogens (female hormones) called isoflavones. It is also present in most types of beans, such as soybeans, black beans and peas, as well as tofu and bean sprouts. Soy foods are high in protein and isoflavones, which help strengthen muscles.