Over the past few months, many perimenopausal and menopausal women have come in to the office with the complaint of a UTI or recurrent UTI’s. They don’t understand why NOW! Why are they suddenly occurring when they did not before? This stimulated me to write up an informational email on why UTI’s increase as we age.
Why do Urinary Tract Infections (UTI) increase during the perimenopausal and menopausal years? The answer is simple. It is because estrogen decreases. As the tissue becomes devoid of estrogen many changes occur! I will list for you the changes that occur when you add estrogen (E2) to your body or when you have the Mona Lisa Touch Procedure (MLT).
1. E2 or MLT normalizes the vaginal flora
2. E2 or MLT returns the vagina to its normal PH
3. E2 or MLT increases the collagen in your vagina and bladder thus, making the tissue thicker, tighter but also stretchier. (I recommend both in order to obtain maximum thickness, tightness and stretch)
4. E2 or MLT increases the top layer of cells and bringing them closer together.
5. E2 or MLT increases anti-bacterial substances which will thus, decrease infection
So obviously a great way to prevent or decrease urinary tract infections is to use systemic or vaginal estrogen or obtain the Mona Lisa Touch Procedure. Sometimes both are needed.