Vaginal estrogen ring helps relieve overactive bladder

Up to 40% of postmenopausal women have overactive bladder — an urgent and frequent need to urinate, sometimes resulting in incontinence. The most common drug treatment is oxybutynin (Ditropan), which is an anticholinergic medication. That means it blocks the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, relaxing the bladder and decreasing the need to urinate. But anticholinergics can cause dry mouth and constipation, side effects that prompt many women with overactive bladder to stop taking the medication. Now, a study in Menopause: The Journal of the North American Menopause Society (September 2011) finds there's an equally effective alternative that lacks those side effects — an ultra-low-dose estradiol vaginal ring (Estring). Vaginal estrogen cream can help manage overactive bladder symptoms, but creams can be messy and must be reapplied several times a week. The ring is worn continuously and can stay in place for three months.

The study. The study included 59 postmenopausal women with overactive bladder, defined as urinating 10 or more times in 24 hours. Thirty-one were randomly assigned to take oxybutynin; 28 received the vaginal ring. The women recorded their urination times during two 72-hour periods, once at the start of the 12-week study and again at the end. They also filled out questionnaires on the distress caused by their symptoms and their overall quality of life.