Incontinence The drop in postmenopausal estrogen levels may contribute to both stress and urge incontinence. Urge incontinence occurs when a person has an urge to urinate and cannot control that impulse. Stress incontinence occurs when coughing or sneezing triggers urine leakage because of weak muscles in the pelvic region or loss of function in the urethra. Estrogen therapy helps restore the urethral lining in women with stress incontinence, and estrogen cream desensitizes the bladder, helping those with urge incontinence. Full benefit may take a year although improvement often begins in six weeks.
Women are at increased risk for recurrent urinary tract infections after menopause.
One study found that postmenopausal women who used an estrogen vaginal cream had a dramatically lower incidence of recurring infections than women not using the cream. Researchers suggest that estrogen may resist infection by increasing the number of lactobacilli, a microorganism that fights infection by preventing bacteria from adhering to vaginal cells. It is not clear whether taking oral estrogen has the same benefit. Some studies, in fact, reported a higher incidence of urinary tract infections in women taking oral estrogen. Colorectal Cancer Studies continue to show that hormone replacement therapy, with or without progesterone, protects against colon cancer.