How's your pelvic floor?

[AnyDream]

Mine's shiart, thankyou. However not so much with the urinary incontinence though.

Worth sucking up the embarrassment and talking to your doctor about it. There are people who specialise in treating this - incontinence nurses and women's physios. My DD was referred to an incontinence nurse because she was having a bit of LBL, and I was quite surprised by the tricks and tools she had. A couple of sessions sorted DD out, so well worth it IMO.

Also, depending on the specific nature of the leakage, there are medications that can help. I found about this during chemo when I had the very unexpected and horrifying side effect of loosing bladder control completely a few times So, again, worth talking to your GP.

[emc2]

A relative of mine has had an operation for the back end, but has had help from specialists about urinary incontinence, and medication has helped with the continual urge to go problem she had.

Definitely there's a lot of different things they can do, so worth getting a referral.

I had a referral in hospital but it was a temporary problem for me.

[Charlotte91]

I have a bit of leakage here and there. I haven't done any exercises, but I'm thinking that I need to... It started when I was pregnant with DD, I had a c/s with her too.

But, at 19, I think I'm a bit young to be having LBL!! :-) hahaha. So, off to google some exercises.

[Boo Boo]

Yep, I have got to say with the pregnancy and birth of my 3rd it is has definitely gone dramatically downhill and I can relate to all of the above. I have been a bit slack with the exercises but I really should do them.

[nickle730]

Hmmm... nice to know I'm not the only one. I figured there were others, ya know, because they make the pads and all but I wondered if their target market might be post-menopausal women who laugh a lot and have a constant cough?

Yes, I had forgotten about continence nurses. I know there are physio's who specialise in women's health and deal with the pelvic floor but... alright, I just don't want physio on my vagina. The embarrassment factor of it all!!

Marydean, what other tips and tricks were given to your DD?? Something that didn't require her to get her knickers off??

[Arcadia]

Squats are what you need. I read a great article on why pelvic floor squeezes are NOT helpful for continence and other pelvic floor issues. The best thing you can do to strengthen the area are squats. I will try and find it for you.

[NaeNae]

I hear you mine has gone to the dogs after DD and especially now I am pregnant again. Mines only seems to happen when I cough which is all the time at the moment. BUT OMG the other night DH was cooking chops and the smell had me rushing off to the bathroom. I was hurling so much I actually lost full control and wet everywhere, I was soooooo embarrassed thank goodness I was at home!

I cannot wait until I get heavy with this pregnancy

[emc2]

Squats are what you need. I read a great article on why pelvic floor squeezes are NOT helpful for continence and other pelvic floor issues. The best thing you can do to strengthen the area are squats. I will try and find it for you.

Yes I've seen a few articles on this..other exercises too, can't remember which though.

[*LittleMissSummer*]

NaeNae- I was like that too, my morning sickness the second time was really bad at first and i would hurling that much i started to wee myself, sometimes id have to sit on the toilet and vomit in a bucket...

I'm really considering seeing my GP about it, most the time its ok but sometimes its really bad. I find around AF its worse than other times.

[krystals]

Mine WAS shocking... but better now, I saw a physio who told me I'd been doing the exercises all wrong. She likened it to trying to stretch my hamstring by wiggling my big toe.

know there are physio's who specialise in women's health and deal with the pelvic floor but... alright, I just don't want physio on my vagina. The embarrassment factor of it all!!

There's no de-pantsing!! ... the physio was aware of the embarrassment factor and seriously just taught me how to do the exercises correctly. It's effective and takes about 5 minutes to explain. I was wearing jeans and could feel what I was meant to be doing with my hands above the denim.There was no discussion of vaginas... but the muscles above your pelvic bone. I've had visits to my regular physio for running injuries that were more 'invasive'.

Oh, and it's worth not peeing my pants every time I run now

GET IT CHECKED OUT LADIES!!!!!

[Pholi]

I'm a physio, and for part of my career have worked in women's health. There are different types of urinary incontinence, and there are many different solutions treatment options, because there are many different causes and contributing factors.

Arcadia, I'd love to see that article... in my professional opinion, pelvic floor strengthening exercises are far more likely to help than squats, but there are certainly types of urinary incontinence that will not be helped by stengthening the pelvic floor. TBH the only type that might be helped by squats (ie, gluteal muscle and quads strengthening) is functional incontinence, which is where you leak because you can't get to the loo becuase of mobility issues. Interestingly, many women will get leakage when they squat, especially post-partum. And of course, a full squat is physiologically related to relaxation of the pelvic floor - for expulsion of babies, urine and faeces.

For everyone with issues (likey to be at least 60% of women at some stage of their lives) the best thing to do is see your GP and get referred to either a womens health physio or a continence nurse for thorough assessment and diagnosis (which will always involve lots of open discussion of the problem, and although it usually involves a physical assessment, if it makes you very uncomfortable, it doesn't have to be physical). Then, you know what the best treatment options are for your type of problem.

I hate that 'LBL' ad on tv. 'Light bladder leakage' isn't a medical diagnosis, and for them to suggest that there's 'finally a solution', ie, that you can go and spend a fortune on their expensive product and that's going to be all you ever need to do, I think is irresponsible. I think they should say, many women can be permanently helped if they get the right treatment, so go and get it checked out by your health professional, but in the meantime, wear these liners.

[AnyDream]

Marydean, what other tips and tricks were given to your DD?? Something that didn't require her to get her knickers off??

I think this is where seeing someone and getting a diagnosis is the important part, because (I had no idea) there are several different types of incontinence, caused by different things. So in her case she was given some exercises to retrain her awareness of when her bladder was full and how full her bladder was at any point in time. Funnily enough the solution involved learning to relax those muscles, not hanging on tighter.

[forshelby]

Gosh, I've only had one baby and I've had a few 'oopsie' moments. Thankfully after his birth things have improved dramatically, fairly quickly. I do remember several times during my pg though, where I'd sneeze or laugh unexpectedly.................... always made me chuckle at the resulting wet pants. I remember when my waters broke I thought I was just peeing myself again. LOL. But then I realised I hadn't sneezed or coughed, and started getting suspicious.

Definitely though, if it was a continuing issue for me, I'd be looking at some physio. Those pantyliners ARE expensive!

[~me~]

Mine are OK until I start to do high impact excerise. They are then like a waterfall!! I no longer do High Impact excersise as pads just did not cut it at all.

The best advice I can give you is to go to a Physiotherapist who specialises in in-continence and they will help you re-train your pelvic floor. They will also check while you squeeze the pelvic floor and advise you if you are actually doing it at all.

[KimmyF]

in a word CRAP! My pelvic floor turned bad while pg with DD and since her birth I have had a prolapsed bladder and uterus. I'm working with a womens health physio and it's improving slowly I've never had an accident (touch wood) but do experience some LBL when I'm horse riding if I have't been to the loo recently. I recommend the physio and if you don't want to you don't have to take your pants off they use an ultrasound machine to see if your pelvic floor muscles are working.
Good luck and hopefully it improves soon.

[Olive]

i sucked it up and went to my GP about my light leakage and urgancy, after seeing a gyno/ob who specialises in urology im seeing an incontinence nurse next week and having urodynamics and cystscopy studies done in hospital in a few weeks, i'll them more than likely be booked in for surgery on my bladder to lift it back up.
My pelvic floor muscles are fine according to gyno, my leakage is due to my bladder issues, so definatly see your GP