Urinary Changes To Prepare for As You Get Older

No matter how hard you try to stop it, aging will eventually get the best of us. That means it pays to be vigilant when it comes to your body. Being aware of changes that occur will help you stay ahead of problems and maybe even prevent or revert them.

Since there are way too many things that can happen to our bodies as we age, we will just focus on urinary-based ones in this article. So, without further ado, here are some more prominent urinary changes to prepare for as you get older.

Bladder Expansion Issues

In young people, the bladder is a muscular organ that can expand very far to hold urine. While this isn’t a function that simply stops overnight for older adults, its expanding ability will decrease slowly over time. This reduction in the ability to expand can lead to several issues, but most will involve some form of incontinence.

Fortunately, this isn’t the end. You can undergo many treatments and exercises to build up your bladder’s flexibility. However, in the meantime, you might need to use incontinence briefs or catheters to deal with your incontinence symptoms. If you get a catheter, using a urine leg bag wouldn’t be a bad idea; you won’t have to go to the restroom constantly.

Decreased Kidney Function

Another urinary change you should prepare for as you age is decreased kidney function. Over time, the filtration process slows down, and the amount of blood that reaches your kidneys might also decrease. Both issues could lead to infection or disease if not treated properly. If you have discomfort or pain while urinating, plan a visit with your doctor to discuss your options.

Urethra Deterioration

The main tube that urine flows through when leaving the body is the urethra. While this part of your anatomy doesn’t have many issues, it can deteriorate as you age. Typically, this is an issue that occurs in women, which is one of the reasons why more women experience incontinence than men.

This is more of a female issue because of the decrease in estrogen during menopause. During this process, the urethra lining starts to thin, and the tube itself can become shorter. Fortunately, treatment options are available.

Enlarged Prostate

However, men aren’t completely out of the woods. Even though they don’t often experience urethra deterioration, they might have to deal with an enlarged prostate later in life. All male prostates grow as they age, but only some of them develop problems.

The issues you experience could range from being unable to control when you urinate to not being able to go at all. Regardless of the problems you experience, you’ll need to get yourself checked out by a medical professional, so they can determine what’s going on. Fortunately, like everything else on this list, it is treatable.