Pelvic floors. We all have one – and it’s a good job too. They hold our pelvic organs; Uterus, Vagina, Bowel and Bladder in place and, basically, stop things falling out! They’re not often spoken about, but I am going to let you in on a little secret ….as we age, or due to childbirth, pelvic floor muscles get weaker and this can lead to urinary incontinence. There – I said it – we can leak, maybe not a lot although it does seem like it, but certainly enough to make us feel self-conscious. Weirdly, as women, we share information with our friends on all sorts of personal, intimate issues but when it comes to our pelvic floor, it seems to be one of those things that is strictly taboo – and it could be that we’re all keeping the same little secret.
Too little too late?
When you are pregnant, one of the first things your midwife will say (if she’s any good) is ‘remember to do your pelvic floor exercises’, but – and this is the big thing – nobody actually tells you how to do them properly or that other factors can play a huge factor in the health of your pelvic floor, such as diet and water. We should all drink around 8 glasses of water a day (ideally half body weight in fluid ounces), and this applies to those people who have a weak bladder just as much as those without, as dehydration can make your bladder worse.
Now let’s be totally honest – when you are pregnant, your days are filled with dreaming about your little bundle and shopping for cute baby things, so the pelvic floor warning often gets put to the back of the mind. Those exercises get pushed to the side with all the usual excuses, you will do them tomorrow; you will be fine. And before you know it you have had your baby and it’s too late to start.
Wait a moment though..
It is never too late to start exercising your pelvic floor. You can tone things up down there, it just takes time. Make a few minutes for yourself twice a day and work on it. You will see results -not straight away, and maybe not even in a month, but over time your muscles will improve and you will finally feel that it is safe to sneeze in public without an embarrassing occurrence. You might not be quite ready to join your children on a trampoline just yet, but there is still time!! If you feel things are really bad, a quick trip to the GP may help or you may want to consider a specialist in pelvic floor corrective health like myself (over 16 years of continued success), and indulge in a sensory programme that will not only keep you in control of your body, but will make you look great too. Yet far too many women won’t take this step. This really does seem an odd frame of mind to have though – we have smear tests, give birth and are examined at our most vulnerable, but we can’t seem to discuss bladder dysfunction with a professional.
Take control
Your weakness should only be for handbags, shoes and chocolate not your bladder. It is estimated that 1 in 3 women suffer with pelvic floor dysfunction, but if so many women won’t admit to having pelvic floor issues just how accurate is that number? Are you that 1 in 3? If so, why not take charge of your pelvic floor and improve your quality of life without being embarrassed or scared to carry out the everyday activities you really should enjoy.
But, most of all, why not stand up and be counted…………
help us update the statistics on bladder dysfunction with this short survey and let us really find out how many women are keeping the same secret!
