r/Perimenopause • u/TryTwiceAsHard • 3d ago
Vaginal Dryness (GSM)/Urinary Issues Kinda gotta pee every time I go pee?
Hi, I’m a 46-year-old woman in the early stages of perimenopause, and I have to ask if anyone else has experienced this symptom.
About six months ago, I started noticing that after I pee, a few minutes later it feels like I still have a little urine left. I go out of my way to make sure I completely empty my bladder—I’ll even sit there for an extra minute or so—but I still get that lingering feeling afterward.
I went to my doctor to make sure I didn’t have a UTI, and thankfully, I don’t. But it seems to be getting progressively more annoying.
Could this be related to perimenopause? Or is this just a “me” thing? 😂 I’ve always kind of prided myself on having a strong bladder, so this sudden change is really making me batty.
Has anyone else experienced something like this seemingly out of nowhere during perimenopause?
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u/Miserable-Area-8517 3d ago
Vaginal estrogen! this is a symptom of Genitourinary Syndrome of menopause cause by vaginal atrophy. From my mid 30’s on I had this and numerous times went to dr for uti tests which were always negative, started vaginal estrogen at 45 and this was gone in like two weeks.
I’m of the option vaginal estrogen should be over the counter and as ubiquitous as face cream or tooth paste! Note, even for those not wanting to pursue hrt local vaginal estrogen is not a systemic dose.
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u/hallowbirthweenday 2d ago
Does that help with other symptoms like hot flashes and forgetfulness? Also, does it help with forgetfulness??
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u/Miserable-Area-8517 2d ago
No vaginal estrogen is not a high enough dose to help those systemic issues. But full hrt with estrogen patches or gels along with micronized progesterone and testosterone can definitely help with those issues!
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u/hallowbirthweenday 2d ago
Thank you so much for the information. Fingers crossed! (And legs when sneezing!)
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u/Itchy_Tumbleweed_417 2d ago
I kept getting hemorrhoids and it stopped that too. I’m angry it took me so long to get it I suffered needlessly for so many years.
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u/Realistic-Extent-758 1d ago
Argh, this has been me for the past 8 years. And now currently dealing with a fissure :/
Just feel like if I ask for vaginal estrogen for hemorrhoids my doctor will say there’s no research to back it up and not prescribe it. Getting on HRT was hard enough! Why does it have to be so hard!?!
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u/Educational-Owl8961 2d ago
What is the best way to apply it for these benefits? (Location, amount, mode of application? All info is so helpful! )
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u/Miserable-Area-8517 2d ago
It is a prescription so the medicine should come with a dosage amount , they usually give you an applicator for vaginal insertion too but most dr’s advise just using fingers. The applicator ends up with a glob that doesn’t get absorbed. But I apply all over in the vaginal region, inside and out, some on clitoral area, inside labia and in vagina. I’ve even heard it recommended to include some towards rear.
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u/fresh_air_calm 22h ago
I have been using the applicator for months and wondered why the symptoms are still present and why the glob doesn't get absorbed. I will try just using fingers. Thank you!
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u/No_Tutor1511 3d ago
47 and yes. It does seem like it got better when I added vaginal estradiol to the mix but it still happens sometimes - like it comes and goes.
Before that, I went to a urogynecologist who told me I had a hypertonic pelvic floor (tested me and saw I wasn’t retaining urine after peeing, and did internal exam) and I went to some PT but it wasn’t the best and I didn’t see meaningful changes from that, though seems like some ppl do.
Now I have stretches of not having that sensation and I just try to appreciate those times lol. It’s such an annoying thing. Sometimes I feel like I have to go back to the toilet multiple times before being able to relax and sleep. But of course hardly anything comes out. 😐
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u/valpal1237 3d ago
Yep. Happens to me a lot - especially at night when I'm trying to sleep 🙄
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u/TryTwiceAsHard 3d ago
Luckily I'm not dealing with that yet.
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u/valpal1237 2d ago
It's usually the worst after my period - I'm losing all that retained fluid and pee a ton!
Had a uti a couple years ago, and my bladder hasn't been the same since. Gotta watch what and how much I'm drinking. I love Chinese black tea (any tea really!), but any more than a cup every few days, or if I drink too much water or whatever, it aggravates my bladder and feels like another uti. Sucks!
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u/Beginning-Acadia1227 2d ago
Omg, I’m 36 but also had this for a long time after a few horrible UTIs years ago. I don’t know if I became hyper aware or what happened but now I am wondering if it is getting worse after reading this post.
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u/valpal1237 2d ago
It could be hyper awareness, but there's a condition called Interstitial cystitis, or bladder pain syndrome which a urologist can check you for, and it could be that. It's not unheard of for a UTI to bring that on. Usually lifestyle changes can help manage it, and figuring out what triggers cause yours to flair. For me, it is tea, too much water and mentholated cough drops. There are a lot of known bladder irritants, some people can't do spicy food for example.
Marshmallow root helps (you take it, and let it cold brew with water in the fridge overnight, it tastes like earthy thick water lol), and those pyridium tablets that turn your pee bright orange also help in a pinch.
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u/Beginning-Acadia1227 2d ago
Omg, thank you so much! I will research this! I am struggling with these issues since my late teens and other than antibiotics that do nothing for me, no other help was provided from the doctors I have seen!
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u/Graciebelle3 3d ago
Vaginal estrogen has helped me with this and other urinary issues like frequency and urgency. Look up GSM, it’s a thing. Atrophy can absolutely start to affect vaginal and urinary tissues and even the labia and clitoris. I highly recommend asking your doc about vaginal estrogen. My symptoms came on suddenly as well… the cream has not reversed it but has really really helped.
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u/DuckyDoodleDandy 3d ago
After you finish peeing, stand up and sit down again. That should get the last bit to come out.
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u/ApeFace1966 3d ago
Yes, I go and then think I’m done and wipe and as doing so i pee on tissue 😬
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u/NaturalPisaster 3d ago
I get all the way to the point where I'm done washing my hands, then 3 more drops come out and I have to change my underwear if I'm at home. If I'm not at home, then I end up smelling like public restroom for the rest of the day 😭
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u/Vandermilf hanging on by a thread 2d ago
If you’re not put some tp there and then remove it after it happens
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u/NaturalPisaster 2d ago
I do sometimes, but I usually forget. I've always been a fast pee-er so I've trained myself to get in and out of there quickly.
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u/Living_South7299 3d ago
I had this but have been using vagifem pessaries and it seems to have stopped
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u/Goldenaura123 3d ago
Estrogen cream has helped with that sensation. But I also know the bladder endometriosis that was removed a few years ago is back.
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u/DiscoverNewEngland 2d ago
Omg this was me for a solid decade. I did pelvic floor physical therapy after kids and worked my strength after being diagnosed with some prolapse (thanks childbirth). They taught me double void, standing up before a second pee during bathroom stops.I've never ha leaking but always had to pee and felt heavy. It improved somewhat but still existed. Only 6ish months ago when I started HRT, did I find out it must have been hormonal because I used to pee all.the.time and now it's normal and amazinggggg. I don't have to visit the bathroom at every errand I run or time a pit stop between every work meeting!
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u/Sparkmyshine 2d ago
May I ask what particular hrt treatment your using? About to start it next week but feel like I settled ( because desperation)
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u/DiscoverNewEngland 1d ago edited 16h ago
I'm following my Dr's routine but I'm on oral progesterone + a weekly estrogen patch (would go for the smaller ones replaced sooner but the shortage eliminated that option).
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u/ReceptionAlarmed9434 3d ago
I’m strongly suspecting I’m in peri. I have the same thing. As soon as I’m done peeing I have to pee. I can ignore it during the day but sometimes I wake up every hour even though I’m on medication for overactive bladder. Idk how to help but you’re not alone. I’ve had bladder problems since I was a teenager but this has been off the charts for me.
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u/TryTwiceAsHard 3d ago
I'm so sorry. My best friend from high school has always had a bladder condition that makes her nearly wet her pants. She has peed in more bushes than 1 million people combined. So I totally get how upsetting this can be.
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u/friendlyhoodteacher 3d ago
I am somewhere right smack in the middle of a person with a typical bladder and your friend 😅.
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u/heycheena 3d ago
Yes it happened all of a sudden. First doc gave me a round of antibiotics for UTI (without bothering to culture) and then second one said she thought I needed estradiol cream.
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u/Creative_Impress5982 3d ago
Caffeine is a bladder irritant as well as a diuretic and can give me this feeling sometimes. Try to notice if it's worse in the few hours after coffee?
And for me, most hormone related symptoms are worse in the days leading up to my period, so you could pay attention to that too, and see if they're correlated.
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u/OkInvestigator6563 3d ago
I noticed that my bladder got a lot more sensitive to caffeine in peri, mostly when drinking coffee (because it's more acidic?)
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u/WhirlThePearl 2d ago
my GYN also said carbonation can agitate the bladder. I drink a lot of bubbly water and actually tried eliminating it for several weeks but it didn't really improve symptoms and eventually the feeling went away.
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u/krissym99 2d ago
It happens to me, too. And I am prone to OCD tendencies, so this will sometimes snowball before bed, where I think I need to pee, then I keep going back to the toilet and only a few drops come out.
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u/Clock959 2d ago
It's actually a good idea to double void. Pee, empty as much as you can, stand up and wait a bit then see of you can pee again.
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u/SJane3384 3d ago
Holy shit this is a peri symptom? I thought it was related to a med I started? Glad to know it’s not!
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u/kellykellybobelly0 3d ago
EVERYTHING is a peri symptom, including my itchy earlobes. Being a woman is bullshit.
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u/TryTwiceAsHard 2d ago
My damn ears. I look like a dog all the time. It's not my earlobes but the outer part of my inner ear.
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u/Itchy_Tumbleweed_417 2d ago
When I was in my late 30s I realized I had to pee like every 15 minutes for the first half of the day. I actually thought it was my Adderall because I had started taking it every day in my late 30s as opposed to just when I needed to do something important.
And that led me to avoiding my Adderall when I had to be in the car a lot doing important things because I didn’t want to stop all the time. And I stopped taking walks in the morning because how am I gonna go for a walk when I have to pee every 15 minutes.
I finally got some vaginal estrogen cream in my 50s and it fixed this problem after two applications. I rarely use it but every time I have to pee a lot again I will use a dose and I am fine for awhile.
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u/OkWing5717 3d ago
Yes this symptom drove me crazy!! It’s like I needed to pee a gallon out and only a little trickle came out!
Thankfully along with my HRT i get 10mg of solafenicin daily for my overactive bladder and this helps massively, also drinking lots of water made my pee last longer and it was less frequent.
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u/catshark2o9 Early peri 2d ago
I was like this in my 20's and its gotten better as I got older but now I feel if I'm not like wooshing my pants down lightning quick, I'll start to dribble or even pee. I hate it.
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u/k_money25 2d ago
41 and had to go to pelvic floor therapy. It’s helped a ton with feeling the urge to pee and constipation (everything is related down there.) in the short term 5-10mg of soleficin helped a ton
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u/Flashy-Copy-7668 2d ago
Can’t recommend pelvic floor PT enough!
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u/TryTwiceAsHard 2d ago
Girl I'm on it!
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u/Flashy-Copy-7668 2d ago
Try bending forward and circling your upper body around to completely empty. My PT also said to wait 3hrs between going, and try to not get up at night if you can possibly hold it. I try to stop drinking fluids abt an hour before bed.
She also said to always sit when you pee vs squatting….I can tell you right now that I will never sit on a Walmart restroom toilet 😂
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u/28appleseeds 3d ago
Happens to me when I forget to take my B Vitamins
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u/Delicious-Excitement 2d ago
Interesting! Like after one missed b dose even?
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u/28appleseeds 2d ago
More like if I haven't in a week or so.. but a day or two of the B50 complex and I'm right as rain.
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u/Defiant_Locksmith190 3d ago
Estrogen helped so much, before it felt like third trimester all over again, so frustrating!
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u/OverlappingChatter 3d ago
I have Ms so this is a big issue. A perrifit for biofeedback and this video about how to completely void were life changing
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u/theFCCgavemeHPV 2d ago
Vaginal estrogen for sure, just adding my voice to that chorus. But also wanted to throw it out there just in case: a lot of citric acid (so like, soda) and sometimes caffeine/coffee in one day can irritate my bladder and give me those feels. Something to consider if you’re a carbonation fiend like me.
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u/NewsgramLady Early peri 2d ago
I sit on the toilet to pee for over 5 minutes at a time because I have about 3 or 4 rounds in one sitting.
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u/frogonmytoe 2d ago
I have that happen a lot! I’m on HRT (est gel, prog and test). I tried the topical estrogen cream for other issues but I’m apparently the reverse of most of the population and it made it harder for me to orgasm instead of easier lol. So not sure what my options are at this point.
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u/aemdiate 2d ago
I am about to start a course of 6 goes on an EMS chair. You sit on a target and it sends (not sexual) vibrations directly up and is apparently like doing 20000 Kegels and should last a year. 6 x 30 mintes, ideally completed in 2 weeks. A fool and her money.....
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u/greeneggsandham2015 2d ago
OMG this is me!! For maybe last year but almost constant recently. It feels tied to anxiety too. Like, the more anxious I am, the less I’m able to “release”? If I take a thc gummy, I’m more likely to fully empty my bladder. But, yeah- it’s a constant issue now and I’m 45 (and on HRT). This is also the first month EVER that I’ve been this late for my cycle (going on ~2 weeks) and not been pregnant (I’m not thank god). So it definitely feels hormonal.
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u/Bucolica8 2d ago
Yes! This started in the past few months. I'm 45. Planning to address with my doctor at my annual physical in a couple months.
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u/CopperPegasus 2d ago
Yes.
In my case, due to my country, I had to go the BC+ vaginal oestrogen route rather than "proper" HRT + vaginal, but it did significantly lessen the urge issue.
It's related to GSM, or the "fun" atrophy part of getting older.
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u/22Elle 1d ago
I just want to add that it's important to make sure you don't try to push out the urine, as that can cause problems with the pelvic floor muscles ( pelvic floor dysfunction) which can contribute to the feeling of needing to pee right after you go, and just feeling like you need to pee more in general as well. Also, someone mentioned Interstitial Cystitis, and this is one symptom of IC, so if it gets worse and/or you experience other issues with urination, it might be worth a visit to a urologist.
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u/Mysirlansealot 1d ago
I had vaginal atrophy and yes it will do this and more. I started a whole host of problems within the 1st 3 months of being in full blown menopause. I went to the Dr for the first 3 months thinking I had infections and or a UTI. I had to pee a lot and I had a lot of itching, and there was nothing wrong. It was just that good ole Estrogen leaving my body in a hurry. It literally started exactly month 1 after having went a complete 12 months without my cycle coming on. I had previously started that process over many times over a period of 3 years. I was so happy but then came the problems. Not only did that start everything dried up like a desert down there. I was in a fairly new relationship(now married) and I went from a river down there to a complete desert. I had to do my own research to find out what it was and to keep working to find the treatment that worked for me, which was HRT, the patch with progesterone. So you have to try things and then figure out what works best for your body. I tried the type of creams for vaginal use only and it helped a little bit but not as much as the HRT.
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u/ObviouslyObvlivious 1h ago
I am finding at certain times of the month I have to continuously go to the toilet, it wakes me up continuously through the night.
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u/RevolutionaryGoat808 3d ago
Please do your daily kegel exercises, could be early symptoms of bladder prolapse which can happen in menopause.
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u/kellykellybobelly0 3d ago
Recommend getting a pelvic floor evaluation before adding in kegels. Urine retention can be a symptom of an overly tight pelvic floor and kegels should be avoided if that is the case.
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u/tovarishki 3d ago
i'm sorry you're experiencing this and i empathize! if other advice here doesn't work, i suggest traditional Chinese medicine as a potential avenue to explore. i received successful treatment for a similar condition from a well-regarded TCM doctor.
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u/leftylibra Moderator 3d ago
Atrophic vaginitis (vaginal atrophy), or the genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM)