Today I am on my soap box, my women’s healthcare soapbox. The subject is taboo. If we do talk about it, it’s usually in hushed whispers, red-faced with embarrassment. So what’s got me all fired up.
Stress and/or urge incontinence following childbirth, c-section, hysterectomy and/or menopause and the lack of education and treatment.
There! I’ve written in down, said it out loud!
Did you know, here in the UK, more than 10 million women suffer from this? One in three. And what are we told by our family doctors?
“It’s common after childbirth/hysterectomy/menopause.”
Common it may be, but that does not make it normal. That’s a statement (and a crap one at that), not advice. After all, if one’s core and pelvic floor were in good working order beforehand, we should expect it to function again. Fobbing us off with the above statement is unacceptable. It leaves women believing that there is nothing we can do about it except line the pockets of incontinence pad manufactures. Even the advertising campaigns for these items normalise stress/urge incontinence, calling them “oops moments”!
Common beliefs include –
- Incontinence is an ‘old lady’ problem
- It is incurable
- The only solution is to wear pads for the rest of your life
I was a ‘one in three’.
- My problems started after childbirth – and I wasn’t an old lady then!
- It is not incurable. A 6 week tailored program can have you sneezing with confidence again… oh and running. I wouldn’t be doing my couch to 5K running challenge if I hadn’t completed the program.
- Just no! No! No! and No!
I am living proof that we women can take back our core function and enjoy bouncy activities like running and dancing. You should have seen me cha cha cha my butt last night at class!
In my next post I’ll let you in on how I conquered stress incontinence.
Have a fun Friday.
<steps off soapbox>
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