Urinary Incontinence Support Group
Urinary incontinence is the involuntary excretion of urine from one's body. It is often temporary, and it almost always results from an underlying medical condition. Stress, functional, and urge incontinence are the most common forms. Share with other support group members and learn from their stories and experiences.
Incontinence is so common that, firstly, dont be ashamed of it!
I was reading up on Incontinence as someone I know has it, and was shocked to find that 1/3 of women suffer from pelvic floor muscle weakness, and 70% of them suffer in silence - not even seeing their GP - out of fear and embarrassment.
Also, a recent survey of 1000 women aged under 30 found that 1 in 8 had urinary incontinence even though none of them had ever been pregnant, so it's definitely not age or pregnancy related only.
Gravity and stress are always going to have an effect on womens pelvic floors. The problem is that there are just so many causes, even in the home.
We've heard of the usual ones (overweight, pregnancy, giving birth, loss of estrogen at menopause) but there are so many other factors that we don't even consider and these are the ones I'm worried about (Lifting heavy weights at the gym - and I guess even a heavy baby!, high impact sports and exercises, constipation and straining, excessive coughing (bad news for the hayfever sufferers and smokers amongst us)... Athletics? Netball? Starjumps and weightlifting? IBS?... Pelvic floor training is a must.
The problem is that we don't worry about this until it affects us and by the time we notice we are already be in an advanced state of disrepair! So we really need to start early with pelvic floor exercises as a preventative. The focus needs to be on managing and improving the condition rather than hiding it!
A friend mentioned that she's come across this kegel device that's small and discreet, she even carries it around in her handbag. It comes with a dual biofeedback function - it vibrates when you're squeezing with the correct muscles, and it has audio feedback to guide you through a squeeze 'n relax routine.
Theres also an interesting article on www.finessekegelvibe .com quoting a pelvic floor specialist who states that PFM weakness can be reversed within 4-6 weeks with controlled kegel exercises done correctly.
Virtually every patient with pelvic organ prolapse can be helped with muscle rehabilitation, says Dr. Brubaker MD, a renowned specialist in female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery. My goal is always to bring her symptoms under control as quickly and simply as possible...
Dr. Brubaker explains that its critical to make sure youre contracting the right muscles with just the right intensity and for the right amount of time. One way to do this is with the help of biofeedback therapy, which allows you to identify when youre contracting the correct muscles.
How long does it take to see results? Very weak muscles take a longer time to rehabilitate, says Dr. Brubaker. But with a weekly session and daily home exercises, most women see progress in as little as 4 to 6 weeks.
My friend reckons that it's done wonders for her sex life! I've just got myself one, even though fortunately I don't have Incontinence. When I read of how many women start right from their teens, I'm counting myself lucky. I've dabbled with kegels on and off over the years but just wasn't sure if I was doing it right. Now I've got guidance, hopefully I'll get it right. I'll keep you posted!
I was reading up on Incontinence as someone I know has it, and was shocked to find that 1/3 of women suffer from pelvic floor muscle weakness, and 70% of them suffer in silence - not even seeing their GP - out of fear and embarrassment.
Also, a recent survey of 1000 women aged under 30 found that 1 in 8 had urinary incontinence even though none of them had ever been pregnant, so it's definitely not age or pregnancy related only.
Gravity and stress are always going to have an effect on womens pelvic floors. The problem is that there are just so many causes, even in the home.
We've heard of the usual ones (overweight, pregnancy, giving birth, loss of estrogen at menopause) but there are so many other factors that we don't even consider and these are the ones I'm worried about (Lifting heavy weights at the gym - and I guess even a heavy baby!, high impact sports and exercises, constipation and straining, excessive coughing (bad news for the hayfever sufferers and smokers amongst us)... Athletics? Netball? Starjumps and weightlifting? IBS?... Pelvic floor training is a must.
The problem is that we don't worry about this until it affects us and by the time we notice we are already be in an advanced state of disrepair! So we really need to start early with pelvic floor exercises as a preventative. The focus needs to be on managing and improving the condition rather than hiding it!
A friend mentioned that she's come across this kegel device that's small and discreet, she even carries it around in her handbag. It comes with a dual biofeedback function - it vibrates when you're squeezing with the correct muscles, and it has audio feedback to guide you through a squeeze 'n relax routine.
Theres also an interesting article on www.finessekegelvibe .com quoting a pelvic floor specialist who states that PFM weakness can be reversed within 4-6 weeks with controlled kegel exercises done correctly.
Virtually every patient with pelvic organ prolapse can be helped with muscle rehabilitation, says Dr. Brubaker MD, a renowned specialist in female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery. My goal is always to bring her symptoms under control as quickly and simply as possible...
Dr. Brubaker explains that its critical to make sure youre contracting the right muscles with just the right intensity and for the right amount of time. One way to do this is with the help of biofeedback therapy, which allows you to identify when youre contracting the correct muscles.
How long does it take to see results? Very weak muscles take a longer time to rehabilitate, says Dr. Brubaker. But with a weekly session and daily home exercises, most women see progress in as little as 4 to 6 weeks.
My friend reckons that it's done wonders for her sex life! I've just got myself one, even though fortunately I don't have Incontinence. When I read of how many women start right from their teens, I'm counting myself lucky. I've dabbled with kegels on and off over the years but just wasn't sure if I was doing it right. Now I've got guidance, hopefully I'll get it right. I'll keep you posted!
What I like about this device is that the biofeedback coaches you through short sharp kegel sessions - 4m48s each. it's got vibration feedback which tells you when you're using the right muscles, and audio feedback to guide you through two squeeze 'n relax routines.
It doesn't intrude as my friend does one in the morning when she gets up and another before going to bed, and then squeezes one in during her lunch break when she can.... though she doesn't use the audio for that particular session, she doesn't want the office to know what's going on!.
She's worked her way up through the different levels and reckons she's almost at the point where she can resume running with no incontinence. So yeah, it has worked for her