No Evidence of Worsening Urinary Incontinence During Menopausal Transition

Although urinary incontinence becomes more common as women age, does the condition worsen during the menopausal transition? Investigators addressed this question using data from the U.S. prospective cohort Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN).

Participants were 2400 middle-aged women who reported incontinence. During the 6-year observation period, slightly more than 30% of them reported only stress incontinence, and slightly fewer than 10% reported only urge incontinence; the rest variably reported either or both symptoms. Overall, 53% of women reported no change in symptoms during the study, 32% of women reported improvement, and only 15% reported worsening. Incontinence did not worsen as women moved through the menopausal trans…