In women, oestrogen hormone plays a huge role. It is responsible for their urinary as well as their genital health apart from playing its part in reproductive functions.
During the menopause stage that is in the mid forties, oestrogen levels would decrease and these women would have symptoms associated with genitourinary syndrome of menopause or GSM. In this important stage, both urinary as well as their sexual health would get affected. It must be noted that oestrogen hormone would help in maintaining the elasticity of vagina plus in natural lubrication also. This would make the sex life more comfortable and pleasurable also.
Oestrogen is also important for the urinary health of women and it would help in better bladder control plus it would lower the risk of infections etc.
These are the effects of low oestrogen levels on urinary and genital health in women.
Vaginal walls thinning:
Thickness and elasticity of the vaginal walls is maintained by oestrogen and low levels of this hormone would lead to vaginal walls thinning. By this, women would become more prone to infections, irritations etc.
More chances of UTIs:
The urinary tract would have the ability to fight the bacterial infections and that is due to oestrogen. When the oestrogen level decreases, tissue lining would become thinner, less resilient and it would increase the chances of urinary tract infections or UTIs.
Vaginal discomfort:
Women could have vaginal discomfort due to low oestrogen levels. As a result, their sex lives would get affected also. This is a common problem during menopause.
Pelvic floor muscles get weakened:
Pelvic floor muscles would support both urinary and genital health. Point is that oestrogen plays a role in maintaining the strength of pelvic floor muscles. Low levels of oestrogen would make these muscles become weak.
Reduced blood flow to vaginal and urinary tissues:
Blood flow to vaginal tissues and urinary bladder tissues would get reduced due to poor oestrogen levels. This would make women with reduced tissue elasticity and reduced resilience etc.
Loss of urinary bladder control:
It is true that a woman would lose control over the urinary bladder and this could be due to low oestrogen levels. The tissues and muscles supporting the urinary bladder would become weak.
Decreased collagen production:
Collagen production in the tissues of the urinary bladder and vagina would be supported by oestrogen. Collagen is necessary for elasticity and firmness and reduced oestrogen levels would lead to decrease in the collagen production.
Changes in vaginal pH:
To prevent infections, vaginal pH must be balanced and Oestrogen plays a role in this. It is noteworthy that a drop in the oestrogen could lead to higher pH. By this, a woman would have more chances of bacterial and yeast infections.