Night Bathroom Trips Common in Older Women

Many older women get up often at night to use the bathroom, a study suggests. That could be just because they drank too many liquids in the evening, the authors say. But it also could be a sign of a medical problem. Researchers surveyed about 2,000 women. All were 40 or older. One-third said they usually went to the bathroom at least twice a night. This is called nocturia. It can be a symptom of a urinary tract disorder. But about 40% of the women reported no other symptoms, such as urine leakage or an overactive bladder during the day. The chance of having nocturia rose 21% for every 5-year increase in age. Night bathroom trips also were more common among women who had had a hysterectomy, had hot flashes or used vaginal estrogen to treat menopause symptoms. Only one-quarter of the women were even “moderately” bothered by their nocturia.