MNHQ here: Campaign success! NHS England launching new Pelvic Health Clinics

[RowanMumsnet]

Hello

We're really pleased to say that a couple of years after we started to make a huge fuss about the impacts of incontinence and birth injuries on women's lives, the NHS in England has just announced it's opening a series of specialist Pelvic Health clinics to give better care to women suffering from pain, incontinence and other pelvic floor issues.

In our survey, more than one-third of mothers said sex is uncomfortable some months or years after giving birth, and 42% had continence or pelvic floor problems.

The clinics will initially be available at 14 trial centres serving around 175,000 women, and by March 2024 they will be rolled out to every woman in England.

In our survey the vast majority of women who had sexual problems or pelvic dysfunction said they'd never sought medical help, or had been brushed off when they mentioned it to an HCP. These clinics will include a self-referral pathway so that women can approach them directly for an appointment, without having to go through a GP.

We're really pleased that the NHS in England has taken this step and recognised what a massive issue this is for many women. Would love to hear your thoughts - and if you do use one of the new clinics and feel like telling us how it went, we'd love to hear from you.

Thanks
MNHQ

About fucking time!

Hope it provides good results!

Excellent, apparently in France is is the norm to get advice and support during and post pregnancy, I hope they are well used.

Great news

Thank you, @RowanMumsnet.

What a result.

This is brilliant well done MN. When I spoke to my GP about pelvic floor/continence issues and was referred to a clueless young male physio who just sent me a website with exercise details, I gave up.

Bravo MN

Despite being slim, fit and healthy, my vagina has collapsed at 40 with depleting oestrogen levels.

Maybe if I had had better care after birth, I'd understand my vagina better to keep it in good health. Instead, GP's kept ignoring my repeated questions of dry vagina, constipation and feeling of pressure.

Yay to vagina health

Fab news.

Every woman receiving maternity care in the pilot sites will be able to access the service throughout their pregnancy, which includes providing exercises that can help to prevent problems from developing in the first place.

That ship has sailed for me then! What about those of us already damaged?

Fantastic news @MNHQ. I remember asking for help after childbirth only to be told 'What do you expect, you've given birth to three children vaginally'.

Let's hope they build on this with information and support for the menopause.

Good. Hopefully Wales will follow suit.

Well, that's great news for women in England. When will other regions be included?

👍

Yay!

Excellent news

This is great. I was lucky to have excellent care for a prolapse and stress incontinence after a difficult labour (including being given an electric stimulation device as my pelvic floor muscles were way too far gone for any exercises I could do myself to make a difference), but I feel like that was the exception to the rule.

Women?? Surely people.

I hope it's not just for post natal women. Problems like these can effect women at all times of life and GPs seem helpless to know where to send you.

Fantastic news and long overdue but why only one clinic out of 14 in the North? Virtually all of them are in the South even though the case study given in the article is from a woman in Barnsley….such a shame that women in that region will be missing out. Hopefully the pilots go well and they will open more clinics.

I've been referred to one of these places for post birth incontinence. You have to spend a week measuring urine leakage. Impossible when you got a life because you have to literally sit at home knickerless & go to the loo with a measuring just between your legs. You then have to have goodness knows how many vaginal examinations, then a bladder scan before they'll even consider treatment. Good luck jumping through all of the hoops & tolerating the body invasion ladies. I failed at the first hurdle, couldn't do the measuring so I wasn't 'allowed' any help.

@GarlicMonkey that's crazy. Will they let you weigh pads? Still a pain but do-able.

Can we have them in Scotland please. Been waiting over 8months on gynea physio referral

My mum finally got treatment for a prolapse when I was in my 30s I think. I was born in 1972...

That's fantastic news.

That’s great news!