Our Bladder and Aging May Be Connected 

Are there any real connections with our bladder and aging, and if so, are there any real dangers to be concerned about?

The answer to both questions is yes there are, and there is also one other certainty as we all hit the 55 year old mark.

For the vast majority of us, it is not a matter of “if” we are affected; it will be a matter of “when” we start having issues.

Some of us, even when we hit our middle and late 60’s may never have had any issues, but if we step back and think about it, we are only kidding ourselves.

Women have always seemed to have had weak bladders, at least to men, as we used to be able to travel miles on trips before we had to stop.

The Aging Bladder

However, that is starting to change, as several things may be occurring to our bladder.

In understanding the connection between our bladder and aging, it is very helpful to understand what it is as well as how it works.

• Our bladder is a muscular sac located in our pelvis area
• It sets just behind what is called our  “pubic bone”
• When it is totally empty, it is no larger than an apple or pear
• It is lined by several layers of muscles that allow it to expand
• It has a capacity of 400-600ml, or 13.5 to 20 ounces

Our urine is made in our kidneys, and once it is made, it travels in a downward motion through two small tubular shaped vessels referred to as the “ureters”

It will eventually end up in our bladder, where it is stored. It has a capacity, in ounces, to hold between 13.5 and 20 ounces.

When you think of a storage capacity like this, it is actually a lot of fluid it can hold.

The reason it can expand and hold this much, is because of the layers of muscles that surround it and this is where the connection with aging and our bladder begin to emerge.

This process, when it is at full strength, has allowed us to urinate both infrequently, as well as voluntary.

We Can Only Wish it Was The Same

While this may sound a bit mundane to someone in their 20’or 30’s, once we get into our 60’s and beyond, we can only wish that was the case.

When we urinate, our bladder muscles will contract, and two valves will open up and this allows our urine to drain.

It drains through our bladder into the tubular vessels, “ureters”, where it exits our body.

However, there is one interesting fact that most of us would never know unless we did the research, and that is why men can “hold it” longer than women.

The reason is quite simple; it travels through the penis.

Because of this, men’s “urethra” is larger than a women’s, by almost a 7; 1 ratio. In fact, a women’s urethra is 1.5 inches, while a man’s is 8 inches, a huge difference.

Here are the most common ways the connection between our bladder and aging begins to surface.

• Bladder control issues, either way
• Small leakage begins to occur
• Urinary incontinence where we simply cannot hold it
• Urinary retention, where we cannot empty it completely
• Several types of infections
• Different forms of kidney disease

As we all get older, our body is changing and slowing down in several ways.

Here Is What Is Happening With Our Bladder and Aging

What it happening to this key organ is no different, it is aging.

Here is what is happening in the connection with our bladder and aging.

• The walls surrounding it are changing
• They are becoming coarse and tougher in nature
• This causes its natural elasticity to diminish
• The muscles are also losing some strength
• It can no longer expand like it used to

Because of this, we are not able to handle nearly the same capacity as we used to.

The men that used to make fun of women for stopping at every rest stop are now making the same amount of stops.

However, regardless of whether we are in our 50’s or 60’s when these changes occur, we should never ignore them for several reasons.

Here are the major reasons we should take the connection between our bladder and aging very seriously.

• For men, a prostrate issue may be the cause
• For both men and women, an infection of some kind may be the cause
• Bladder stones may be developing
• This may be the first signs of bladder cancer
• For women, the pelvic muscles may be weakening.

For men, a prostrate that is increasing in size, can easily block or challenge this organ, and could very easily lead to prostate cancer.

Infections Are A Lot More Common With Our Bladder and Aging

Infections are much more common the older we get, and urinary infections are much more common.

With each and every year we are fortunate to live, bladder stones also become a much larger threat.

Not only are they quite painful, they can and do very easily affect how we urinate.

Pelvic weakening in women past the age of 60 is also very common, and can easily cause the bladder to fall or slip out of its normal position.

When this happens, urine can become blocked, which is a very dangerous condition.

Here are some of the real warning signs to watch for in the connection between aging and our bladder.

• A sudden development of a fever, followed by chills
• Pain while urinating, associated with back pain
• Reddish tints in our urine
• Trouble urinating ,or urinating a lot more than normal

All of these are real warning signs and could lead to several different bladder conditions and here is the first list in the connection between our bladder and aging.

The Different Conditions That Can Attack

The first list.

• Urinary stones—just as painful as kidney stones
• Bladder cancer—or some other type of cancer
• Dysuria—where urination becomes very, very painful
• Cystocele—weaken pelvic muscles in women
• Urinary retention—where we cannot empty our bladder.

Here is the second list of potential issues.

• Cystitis—inflammation of our bladder
• Urinary incontinence—we cannot control our bladder
• Overactive bladder-causes leakage
• Hematuria—blood in our urine

The connections with aging our bladder are very real, with each year after we hit the 55 year mark.

We need to be fully aware of the warning signs and take them very seriously, and not just ignore them as part of getting older.

References

http://www.webmd.com/urinary-incontinence-oab/picture-of-the-bladder#1

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Overactive Bladder and Aging

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Hematuria and Aging

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Urinary Incontinence and Aging

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