I find I am having to urinate 2-3 times during the night. Is this normal with menopause?

This is really common in the menopause and often caused by falling oestrogen weakening your bladder control so you end up needing to go more at night because of this.

It can also be due to dehydration. It does seem logical that if you go more at night then cutting down on your drinks in the evening will improve this but this has the opposite effect!

If you don't drink enough plain water throughout the day and also some in the evening your urine will get very concentrated and acidic during the night (especially if you are also getting night sweats as these will dehydrate you even further) and this will irritate the bladder making you need to go more.

So it is really important to drink lots of water during the day and have at least one glass early evening, you may even find just having a small shot glass of warm water before bed can help this as well.

However, if you are worried about this at all then do see your doctor.

Want more tips and advice? In my article 'Bladder problems and how to deal with them' I explain why they are so common, what causes them, and the simple things you can do to help your bladder.

Eileen Durward