Frailty is a sneaky beast that includes low energy, weakness and inactivity, it slowly creeps in with age. But even before that trajectory begins, you face a subtle risk factor, especially if you’re a woman: urinary incontinenceor loss of bladder control.
There is a pee leak twice as common in women compared to men – even 60% of women in the United States– due to factors such as hormonal changes during pregnancy, childbirth and menopause. All of the above can have a cascading effect on the pelvic floor and bladder.
No matter the cause, unexpected leaks can prevent you from staying active as you age. The result is a faster path to frailty: “The less you move, the less you’ll be able to move.” Karyn Eilber, MDis a Los Angeles-based urogynecologist and member of the PlusOne wellness collectivesays SELF. And becomes weak it not only increases the risk of a disabling fall; it makes you more likely to get sick or they even die younger.
Read on to learn why urinary incontinence may contribute to frailty as we age and how to prevent the downward spiral.
How urine leakage can increase the risk of frailty later in life
There are two main types of urinary incontinence, which can have different effects on strength as you age. Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI) means dripping when you laugh, cough or jump. This happens when weak or damaged pelvic floor muscles or the ligaments buckle under pressure, explains Dr. Eilber. In some cases, pelvic floor muscle collapse can result tightness: “Constant squeezing causes the muscles to lose coordination and gradually weaken” Patty Beers, PT, DPTphysical therapist and clinic director at the Hughston Clinic in Orlando, tells SELF.
In contrast, urge incontinence or overactive bladder (OAB) occurs when you have to pee very often and urgently in unexpected times, Savitha Krishnan, MDurogynecologist and pelvic floor reconstructive surgeon at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation tells SELF. That a spike in the frequency of women over 60 years of age because it is linked to age-related neurological changes and changes in bladder tissue loss of estrogen because of menopause, she says.
Limiting mobility with either type of incontinence can be a problem for long-term potency: If OAB threatens to leak at any given moment, you probably don’t want to stray far from the bathroom. And if SUI causes dripping while running, or jumpingfor example, “you’ll be less inclined to engage in high-impact exercise,” says Dr. Eilber, which is crucial maintaining muscle and bone mass with age.
