How to deal with stress incontinence

Stress Incontinence

* Stress incontinence (S.I.) is basically `wetting yourself' when physical pressure is put upon your bladder and pelvic floor muscles. This occurs on coughing, lifting, laughing, sneezing, and particularly with the physical straining and jumping involved in aerobic exercise classes!!
* It's a highly embarrasing problem, rarely discussed with close friends or even husbands, because it's perceived as being dirty or having some terrible disease. As nearly 1 in 4 women (equivalent to 7,500 full jumbo jets) develop `S.I.' I term this a `Silent Epidemic'.
* Women are particularly prone to `S.I.' because babies carried for 9 months during every pregnancy, create a great downward pressure on the pelvic floor muscles producing a resultant weakness. These muscles not only support the ever expanding pregnant uterus, but also the bladder, bowel and their outlets.
* After delivery, the weakened pelvic floor is unable to fully support and grip the bladder outlet, so a full or even partially full bladder will leak when any stress or pressure is put upon it.
* Large babies and difficult labours predispose women to `S.I.' as does being overweight.
* Treatment must include self help pelvic floor exercises:
1. Throughout the day try to tighten the muscles around your vagina and bottom as hard as you can feeling a slight lifting sensation underneath. Hold those muscles tight for 3 seconds, relax, and then repeat three more times. Keep repeating this, and persevere as it may take 3 months to produce an obvious improvement.
2. When passing water, keep stopping the flow of urine by tightening the muscles as described above, and then start passing the water again. Try this `stopping and starting' three times whilst urinating.
* Ask you local pharmacist if he can get hold of such treatments as `Vaginal Weights' a series of small `pear shaped' plastic cones, which when inserted into the vagina, are kept in place for 15 minutes whilst standing or walking. This exercise is performed twice a day, until you progress onto the next heaviest cone. Using this method for 1 to 3 months can achieve excellent results. Kits available include `Femina 3'.

These weights aren't available on the NHS, and cost about £25.00 and can be ordered through your pharmacist, or direct from suppliers Colgate Medical Ltd., 1 Fairacres Estate, Dedworth Road, Windsor, Berkshire SL4 4LE.
* Specialist help is also available, via your local NHS gynaecologist, urologist and even your local physiotherapy department.
* For further information contact: British Association for Continence Care (BACC), Pinewood Studio, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, SL0 0NH, The Disabled Living Foundation, 380 384 Harrow Road, London W9 2HU please send SAE.
IMPORTANT NOTICE : This content is from the Dr Chris Steele personal archive and is provided for convenience only. Information contained here may no longer agree with the most up to date medical advice. Please check with a medical professional before taking any action.

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