Pelvic Floor - Help

[LaaLaa]

Has anybody used any of the "products" available to strengthen your pelvic floor - you know cones and weights things - am starting to get fed up of leaks when laughing, coughing etc.
Are any of them any good or is it back to squeezing everytime I stop at a red light?

LaaLaa - you should ask your GP for a referral to a physio. That might need to be done via a gynaecologist but the physio would give you advice on the kind of exercises you need to do. Cones and weights might not be appropriate. They will also make sure you are doing your pelvic floor exercises correctly and effectively. That costs nothing. They should be done frequently on a daily basis for life.

Thanks mears - will make an appointment. Do you do yours everyday? How often? How many?

I do indeed. Any time that I am sitting or standing for periods I just do them. Infact always do them whilst on mumsnet. Have had 4 children, youngest is 9yrs and don't have any leakage problems - yet

I do them when I see the tena adverts on tv!!

I never remember and have accepted things will only get worse when I have another baby. Can never remember to do those exercises so once I'm finished with chidbirth I'm going to find out about surgery.

What surgery is that bunny?

I do my pelvic exercises, but this bloody SPD has given me the worse stress incontience ever. Physio said it just went with the territory.

I recently read about a woman who had no control after three children She was referred for a fairly new procedure which involved reinforcing something in the bladder region. Since then she has had no problems whatsoever. I'm sorry I cant be more informative but I cant find the article. I'll see if I can find out more.

Bunny2 - simple exercises can avoid surgery which I think is much better. Surgery is painful and not always effective in the bladder region.

mears - why might the cones not be appropriate? Is it ok to use them while pg. i'm starting to worry about my pelvic floor - have to stop dh making me laugh just in case atm! Was going to dig out my cones which haven't seen the light of day in a long time.

Monkey, sounds like you've used them in the past - were they any good? Easy to use?

they were easy to use, but I'm lazy and forgetful, so didn't use them much. I guess I was so paranoid about making sure they were clean & not sure of the best way to go about this, so that contributed to them being shoved, lonely & forgotten in a drawer!

But I'm now pg with 3rd, and have done very little for my pelvic floor thus far, i am thinking maybe I should start and try and get into the habit of doing them regularly, like a good girl. Can't remember how to do them though!

Just meant that cones might not be actually necessary to tone the pelvic floor. Sometimes the physio can highlight that pelvic floor exercises aren't being done properly therefore you might not need to actually use cones. I wouldn't use cones in pregnancy personally - don't know about scientific reasons why not.

I must say I was thinking not, but then saw them in a preg. products catalogue, so thought maybe it is ok after all & should maybe try to do something. Is pg best time to start (as I haven't already, despite 2 kids & can't turn back the clock) or can I just carry on being lazy for a few months & just do them after? (I guess I know what you're going to say to that one!). How do I learn how to do them without going to a physio?

My mw told me that it was better to start pelvic floor exercises during pregnancy than not at all - just suggested I built up gradually and made an appoint. asap. to see her if there were any probs. I am having a straight forward pregnancy and if you ahve had any other probs. I would speak to your mw first just to be sure. Wish i had listened with 1st pregnancy - took a while to recover IYKWIM, can?t believe I let them slip in between! If anyone is reading this thread and have made the msitake of not doing pelvic floor exs. before now - what are you waiting for?!! Don?t learn the hard way - can be very embarrassing and difficult, just at a time when you least need further problems (ie. with new baby and sore body after birth...)

Mears, can exercise really help a useless case like me? I have had a terrible cough and it has proved how awful my bladder control is. I know I am lazy but I just cant see exercise helping, whereas a strategically placed stitch or two might just help tighten everything up IYKWIM.

Yes, exercises can help most cases, even the worst ones. There really isn't any real affort requires. To feel which muscles to use, try and stop passing urine midstream. Those are the muscles you tighten when exercising. You then take it a bit further so that you are tightening the muscles around your anus as well. Imagine there is a string centrally that is pulling everything upwards. Some peple tell you to imagine that you are pulling the muscles like a lift over 3 floors. First floot tightens the front, second floor tightens the back then the third floor brings everything up as far as it will go. Also works well during lovemaking - so I'm told

You could try a pilates class - has anyone suggested that yet?

I used to go to one and most of the exercises started with 'zip and hold'. Imagine a tight-fitting pair of jeans where the zip goes from the entrance to your vagina round to your belly button. You then complete your exercise set with your muscles all held in. In theory....

I'm sure I've said this before but I found exercise generally (walking, running, abdominal exercises) helped no end with my pelvic floor.

Thanks Mears and SueW. Mears, I think I am a hopeless case, I cant stop once I start to pee. It's like my muscles have dissolved. . SueW, the Pilates does sound good, do you know if you can do pilates if pg as I hope to conceive v. soon.

Hi Bunny - even before I was ever pregnant I had to cross my legs when I coughed, sneezed etc... Just doing the exercises while pregnant has helped me - I must be the only person who has better control after having the baby than before! So they MUST work

Thanks for that Ninja. I didnt have a problem before (unless I'd been on the pints of lager) but now coughing and sneezing are a problem. I WILL try to do the exercises for a few months and see if there is an improvement. I have tried half heartedly in the past but I suppose I need to stick to some sort of regime.

Bunny2. Pilates is really good during pregnancy - and afterwards. But you need to find a teacher who has experience of working with pregnant women so s/he can tailor the class to you.

Cheers Nobby. I supppose I should wait till I am pregnant then (hurray, manage to avoid exercise yet again )

Can pilates do anything for an out of control tummy?

I had two pregnacies close together (13 months) + very long labours ending with ventouse deliveries both times. If I ever had any pelvic floor it disappeared then! Excercise made no difference.The inco got worst until after 5 years I gave in and had a Colpol Suspension op which was the only thing on offer from that surgeon. It was a major op - worst than a hyterectomy I'm told. 8 weeks off work,lots of pain etc etc. AND it didn't bl.... well work. Went to a different surgeon who offered a TVT op (Trans vaginal Tape)1 day in hospital 2 weeks off work and IT WORKS. Can now do star jumps with the best of them! SO the moral of the story is don't let them fob you off and if you decide on surgery go well informed. I hope this may atleast stop another woman having to go through what I did. If anyone wants anymore info I'll help if I can.

Ouch Mumski, you poor thing! Thank goodness it's ok now, but to have to go through two operations...

Boygirl Thanks. It was awful at the time - but now the freedom of not having to 'pad up' in case I want to chase my little girles around the park is great. It just makes me cross that other women out there are still having to go through a Colpol suspension because it is seen by surgens (mostly men) as the 'gold standard' op. for this problem, and havn't taken on board developments in the rest of the world. A TVT op has been the norm in places like the US and Australia for sometime. Time to get off the soap box.......