AIBU in thinking Tena are normalising incontinence so they can sell more pants?

[TeaKettleBell]

This advert:

If they really cared (which they do not) they could advise women to contact their GPs. Incontinence following childbirth can be treated. It does not mean a life sentence of Tena pants. Tena however would prefer it if we all thought Whoops moments were standard and we should all saddle up and strap on paper pants. Gahhhhhh Please if you are suffering with incontinence, visit your GP. There are strategies that will help.

@AverageMummy not sure I was ‘gloating about an 11 pound baby’ anywhere and I certainly didn’t mean to trivialise other people’s situations.
By all means the induction, 24 hours of back to back labour, 3rd degree tear and near shoulder dystocia towards the end were a real barrel of laughs.

Labour isn’t lovely for everyone but it doesn’t have to result in being a slave to tena lady for the next 50 years.

thedevondumpling

They are supplied for free by the Adult Bladder and Bowel Service. DD gets Continuing Healthcare Funding, so all needs arising from the primary health condition are funded by the CCG anyway.

Yabu
It’s not easy to fix . Or acess any support either . The NHS can’t help everyone

C sections (at least emergency ones) don’t spare you the incontinence. I had issues for weeks after birth and my mother who only had c sections leaks as much as her sister who had her children the normal way.

Yanbu about the Tena lady ad

I felt that any help on the NHS is available only on case if incontinence results in serious mental health issues. The practice nurse honestly told me that I should expect to wait for a couple of years for the pelvic floor / fistula repair on the NHS, so I went private. If I wasn't lucky enough to afford it, I would have needed regular incontinence sanpro for a couple of years while waiting for the sugery, so it is not like it is mutually exclusive.

I just saw an Always advert for similar, with the line something like 'I love being a mum. If I leak a little, so what?'

Yes, it's fine to piss yourself because being a mummy is so wonderful. What's the big deal?

MontStMichel They are supplied for free by the Adult Bladder and Bowel Service. DD gets Continuing Healthcare Funding, so all needs arising from the primary health condition are funded by the CCG anyway. Are they pads or the sexy black pants Tena advertise? I imagine they are more expensive but I honestly don't. I do know that at a learning disability home I volunteer at they say they dont get enough pads for the people who need them.

You're kidding, right? With the state of the NHS at the moment? I've been waiting a year for a different referral. I've got sod all chance of this being addressed. At least I can get on with doing some sport without being embarrassed with some Tena.

YANBU. I have emailed several times plus commented on FB/Twitter but never get a satisfactory response.

But do they work well enough for trampolining with the DC - asking for a friend

Whilst I welcome the destigmatisation, it does seem that because incontinence is a medical issue that it would be responsible for them to include a message encouraging people to seek medical advice if they are suffering, because treatments may make a huge difference. It might cost them a few sales but how great would it be - not only in outcomes for those suffering, but let's be honest in PR terms too.

It's not impossible to make sales and also be responsible. Dove may be a bit marmite but they manage to sell beauty products but also encourage self-acceptance (the antithesis of beauty products really) and it's worked pretty well for them.

I hope someone from Tena sees this thread and considers the arguments!

They are a business selling a product designed to cope with a medical problem. They should NOT be using words like 'normal', they should describe the product and then advocate contacting your doctor, if you haven't already, to see if in your case, it's treatable.

To the pp who said they’d never do these sort of ads in France as everyone gets physio after birth -
I’m in France at the moment and every bus stop has a massive tena ad, with an obviously post natal woman on it.

Supermarket own brand can manage to have a "Some bladder issues can be treated. Please see your GP for further advice" type wording on them.

A petition? What would work best?

Sorry but I think it's insulting to women that you think we wouldn't know to go to the doctor. Like we're all so thick we need it spelling out.

Luckily I don't have these issues but I know a couple of people who do. They've either been fobbed off or are on the year plus long waiting list for physio.

I also think tena are awful products anyway. I work in care, our county councils incontinence pads are now tena ones. They're awful and unfit for purpose. The response from tena after hundreds of complaints? "We don't see a problem with our products"

@WaterOffaDucksCrack I worked with a woman who didn’t go to GP for years despite having 3 week long periods because she thought that’s what happened as you got older. Women upthread are doing HIIT while incontinent thinking that’s normal.
It’s not. There are things that can be done.

Women do not have to suffer and until we actually show up in the GP office and complain and ask to be referred then the problem goes unreported and untreated.

I've had the mesh in, medication and specialist physio. I do my pelvic floor exercises regularly.
I still need to use Tena or similar every day due to leakage.

YABU. l've been being treated for stress incontinence for 18 months now. It's not working. Many older people have problems with getting to the toilet in time - for lots of reasons, many of which aren't treatable. Refusing to provide a range of continency products isn't going to change that and Tena's marketing strategy isn't actually linked to government spending policy.

I agree, yanbu

Tena is a for profit company so they shouldn't encourage people to visit GP.

Incontinence treatments should be more widely available. Also they should raise awareness and not make people feel ashamed. It is getting a bit better. I'm a physio and when I went to school we had incontinence specialist lecturing us. We also visited a urotherapist and followed her treatment sessions. So maybe we will get there.

Women do not have to suffer

They've got a cure for old age that doesn't involve dying now? Some causes of incontinence can be avoided, some can be treated. But not nearly all, esp when associated with old age. You may not understand that yet. But you will.

There was a feature on bbc breakfast a little while ago that talked about incontinence and how teams had gone into nursing and care homes and made HUGE differences in the health and life of many many elderly men and women.

They themselves said that the majority of age related incontinence CAN be treated with continence restored in months to many people.

Of course there are some who won’t be as lucky, but I agree, the normalisation of something that is (mostly) treatable for profit does really get under my skin somehow.

We don’t want a business putting out campaigns “educating” women that their only solution is to put up with this and shell out money buying product when what they’re experiencing isn’t something they should just not raise or try to fix. The damage by marketing being done to this generation is just horrendous.

Also I waited 18 months for a gynae appointment only to be told I needed to see the surgeon who did my op.
So was put back on her 2 year waiting list .

Look, it's not Tena who's normalising this. Women ARE going to their GPs, and are being either told to suck it up or are put on long, long waiting lists. The problem isn't with advertising, it's with a lack of funding and provision for healthcare.