Menopause is a transition virtually all women across the globe experience. It is the point in life when a woman moves from menstruating monthly to not menstruating at all. That period is often accompanied by painful and uncomfortable symptoms. One of which is frequent UTIs, which can disrupt your daily life and have you scrambling for treatments and preventions. The good news is that women today have many proactive options for preventing UTIs before they become a consistent problem.  

Understand your body

The first step to managing any symptom or condition in your body is to understand it. When you move into perimenopause, recognize that you are entering a transition that could last a decade. From a biological perspective, your body is preparing to stop menstruating, so it thinks you don’t need as much oestrogen or progesterone; also known as your reproductive hormones. But because this process doesn’t happen right away, and hormones continue to rise and fall, it throws your system out of balance. 

This imbalance, or fluctuation, causes all kinds of chaos in your body. One major symptom is that you lose moisture, and your skin becomes thinner. This happens all over your body, including in your vaginal canal and urinary tract. The muscles in those regions become weaker, and your body fluids don’t flush bacteria out as effectively. This can lead to bacteria invading your urinary tract and causing infections. 

Welcome the right supplements

Now that you know what’s happening, you can find solutions that work for you. One of the first steps to take is immediate damage control. If you know your muscles are weakening and bacteria are staging a coup in your urinary tract, you can do two things. 

First, practicing Kegel exercises can help strengthen the muscles in your vaginal canal and urinary tract. These exercises simply involve tensing and releasing the muscles you use to stop yourself from urinating. 

The second step involves the bacteria in your urinary tract. A reliable UTI supplement can help prevent bacteria from making their way there and adhering to the walls of those areas. This is because the supplement contains PACs, or proanthocyanidins, a compound found in cranberries. Many women also rely on a wild yam supplement or vaginal moisturiser to help keep fluids moving through the vaginal canal. This may help flush out bacteria as well. 

Eat the right foods

If you’re not up for taking a wild yam supplement, you could simply add more yams and sweet potatoes to your diet. Studies have shown that the way women physically react to menopause is largely based on their diets. For example, women in Japan experience fewer night sweats and hot flashes, thanks in large part to more fruits, vegetables, soy, and Omega-3 fats in their diets. 

These same foods can help keep UTIs at bay because they may help with maintaining muscle tone and moisture retention. In particular, soy can mimic oestrogen in your body, which can help keep hormones balanced. This means those chaotic symptoms may not feel so chaotic. If you haven’t already, switching to a healthier diet and cutting down on alcohol, processed foods, and processed sugar to help minimize symptoms.

Move, lift, rest

In addition to eating the right foods, women entering perimenopause should be exercising more to get better sleep. You might be surprised to learn that stress can also be a contributor to frequent UTIs in the female body. After all, stress causes inflammation and weakens the immune system, making you more prone to infection. Also, the more you exercise, the more muscle tone you’ll build, even in your vaginal and urinary regions. 

In general, women in this critical transition period should engage in cardiovascular exercise almost every day and lift weights at least four days a week. Exercise will not just keep you strong, either. It also releases oxytocin, which helps you relax later in the day, so you’ll sleep better at night. And the better you sleep (at least seven hours a night), the easier it will be to manage your stress. It’s a cycle of health that can both prevent UTIs and help you lead a more joyful life as you age. 

Embrace your body

Finally, one of the primary reasons scientists currently believe Japanese women experience fewer menopause symptoms is that they embrace the changes in their bodies. In the West, many people view menopause as an ending or something negative. In Japan, the culture largely treats menopause as a new beginning. If you can see yourself going through menopause as a gift, a positive experience, and a new role in life, your mindset may make symptoms much easier. 

Can you cure UTIs with positivity? No, of course not. But shifting your mindset to one that welcomes your new, changing body, can make it a smoother transition. You can become more open to new experiences, like eating better or exercising more. Sleep might become more of a priority. And as you embrace your new body, you may simply find that your new lifestyle is less resistant, less inflammatory, and less prone to infection. 

There are several steps you can take to lessen the frequency of UTIs in your body. You may even be able to eliminate them altogether. The key is to stop thinking of a UTI as your body attacking you and start seeing your body as strong, powerful, and resilient. This mindset shift will likely require you to start making big lifestyle changes. But they’re changes that can only serve you for the better, so let’s make them a priority starting right now.

Zuella Montemayor, a psychology graduate from the University of Hertfordshire, has a keen interest in the fields of mental health, wellness, and lifestyle.