So how incontinent are you?

[VoluptuaGoodshag]

I'm trying to gauge my own against others to see if I need medical help. Never had any problems up until being a mother. First child was a CS but still significantly incontinent compared to before. Second child was a VBAC and now I'm hopeless.

I have to go to the loo before I do anything. If I'm slightly constipated then the pressure makes it even worse. I find that if I lean ever so slightly forwards (like if I bend over the basin or sink to wash my hands) then it leaks and there is no amount of squeezing can stop it even if I've just been to the loo.

Pah! So how does this compare to anyone else?

FrannyandZooey many thanks for that link - urge incontinence does sound like what I have.

I'm off to "retrain my bladder" now....

hello

i have suffered from stress incontinence since birth of dd nearly three years ago. It was pretty dreadful at first (just standing up or walking at all made me leak and feel desperate for the loo). I was referred straight away to the urogynae dept of my local hospital and to their specialist continence physio for a series of sessions to assess my pelvic floor strength and begin the process of rehabilitation. The physio taught me exactly how to do the exercises correctly - it's true that it's really easy to do them wrong. You can actually make the problem worse that way!

I was given a special pelvic floor toner - this wasn't one of those expensive machines, just a bit of plastic to put inside me while i did the exercises. It had a long stick poking out (my dh hilariously used to call it my antenna ) and it just shows you by the way it moves when you're doing the exercises right. Will post link to buy it if i can find it.

Did the exercises religiously for a few months (10 fast and 10 slow sets, four times a day) and things gradually got better.

Also got better when my period returned (hormones levelled out a bit) and when I stopped breastfeeding (hormones back to pre-pregnancy, i suppose).

I got to the point where i felt almost normal. there are some things i'll never be able to do again without worrying, but generally life is ok. So much so, that i've gone and messed it all up by getting pregnant again. It's totally undoing all my good work - the relaxin hormone you release when pregnant relaxes all the muscles in that area, with obvious results.

Anyway, i fully recommend getting yourself to a physio. It's not that embarrassing really, and can transform your life. The earlier you do it, the higher your chance of success.

Do the exercises like mad - it can take months to improve but most women do get there.

And if you can't get there through exercise alone there are drug therapies you can try, and also a simple operation called TVT.

There is a really useful book by Dr Pauline Chiarelli called Women's Waterworks. It explains EVERYTHING you could ever want to know about bladders, pelvic floors, incontinence.

Never thought this particular topic would be my specialist subject at age 35.

Voluptua - You do need help. Ask to be referred to a physio who specialises in pelvic floor rehabilitation.

I don't have any problems, but was prescribed a 10-session physio visit right after birth, as is usual here in France. It involved doing the exercises with a gadget that shows how much you squeeze, and another that gives a light electrical charge to stimulate your muscles into contracting on their own. There was a real difference before and after.

Crikey! I sound bad! I've been doing my exercises all week though. The other thing I forgot to mention is that when I have my period I usually and always have worn tampons but now I have difficulty getting them in and keeping them in. I now always have to use applicator ones and have found lil-ets the only ones that stay in to any degree as they expand widthways. Tampax are a no-no and come out like a Polaris missile.

Any thoughts if this and my incontinence are related?

Hi voluptua - I also had the tampon experience, and then joined an adults trampolining class - put it this way, twas luckly I was wearing dark fleecy-lined tracky bottoms!

I got a thing from Boots called Aquaflex - it's a system with two cones, one wider and one narrower, and some little weights, and you start off inserting the wider one with no weights and just wear it for, say, 5 mins or so. Then increase time, increase weights gradually, then as your muscles get stronger you use the smaller one, same thing starting off with no weights etc. I used to put it in in the shower in the morning so didn't matter if it fell out sometimes! The weights are miniscule btw, not like 2oz, 4oz etc!

It really helped and I was able to carry on trampolining without using Tena lady pads. I still use it about 4 times a week, just when I shower.

Hope that helps and good luck!

Thanks 43today (and happy birthday). I'll check out Boots next time I'm in

Hi Voluptua. I'm really sorry to hear that this has been happening to you, but this is EXACTLY what has been happening to me, so I really sympathise and may be able to shed some light. Don't be alarmed - nothing nasty and can be sorted and is common. After I had my oldest child 7 years ago I had bad stress incontinence but then had good course of physio in the maternity unit and was loads better so only had a problem if sneezed or coughed unexpectedly (that physio involved bladder training - where you try to drink more and hold on longer so bladder capacity increases - and pelvic floor exercises using a stimulating device that made the pelvic floor exercises I was doing more effective). However, over last year or so I have been leaking more often and before Xmas I noticed, just like you, that it was happening even when I'd just been to the loo and merely leant forward or sat down (i.e. nothing at all strenuous, and not when I needed the loo at all). I went to the doctor and they said do PFEs for a month then come back, but unfortunately it made no dif at all (sorry). Anyway, she referred me to see a Consultant Gynaecologist who specialises in urinary incontinence and he said that it is caused by weakening of the ligament that supports the neck of the bladder and the urethra (legacy of childbirth) - so not weak pelvic floor muscles but weakening of a very specific ligament. This is called an anterior prolapse (or bladder prolapse) because the unsupported bladder can then move a bit out of place and press on the front wall of the vagina - if this is the case the gynaecologist can feel this by examining you (I have the same tampon issue you mention and I'm sure this is why). If this is the case for you this can easily be fixed by a small op - I am having this as a day case and no need to stay in hosp. Have to say I was relieved to find an answer as to what was happening as I knew it wasn't straight forward strss incontinence as happened when I hardly moved and didn't have a full bladder. I hope this helps - definitely go and see your GP and ask about the possibility of anterior prolapse and ask for a referral. Good luck and please don't worry - apparently this is really common but prob not something people discuss over coffee!