See what Mumsnet testers think about INNOVO®’s new pelvic stimulator. Non-testers: win the machine, worth £249! NOW CLOSED

[RebeccaEMumsnet]

This thread is for the ten Mumsnetters who were chosen by INNOVO® to test and keep their new pelvic floor stimulator, which is designed to alleviate stress incontinence.

Stress incontinence is the term used when leaks accidently occur from coughing, sneezing, laughing, jumping or doing heavy lifting. These simple movements put pressure on the bladder and, should your pelvic floor muscles be unable to tighten enough, will cause a leak. Stress incontinence can also be called bladder weakness or urinary incontinence. INNOVO® is a new pelvic floor stimulator that works to strengthen the muscle and put an end to those pesky leaks.

Here’s what INNOVO™ have to say about their product:
‘Innovotherapy is a non-invasive way to restore your pelvic floor, treating the primary cause of urinary leaks rather than just masking the symptoms. Using a hand held controller that is attached to a two part garment, Innovotherapy sends targeted impulses via conductive pads (attached to your upper thigh and buttocks) to safely and effectively activate the muscles of the pelvic floor. It is a proven technology which has been designed to optimally strengthen your pelvic floor with 180 perfect contractions per session, allowing the device to do your pelvic floor exercises for you.
Results from a research study prove that women who experience stress incontinence will experience significant improvements in as little as four weeks by using INNOVO® five days a week for 30 minutes. After 12 weeks of treatment the participants were defined as being ‘dry’ or ‘almost dry’. So it won’t take long to get your confidence back’

Testers were asked to use the product for thirty minutes per day, five times per week, over a twelve week period – the recommended treatment programme from INNOVO®.

Testers, please answer the following questions:

• How did you find the process of learning to use INNOVO®? Did you receive support where needed?
  
• What did you do to pass the time while using INNOVO®?
  
• What did the sensation of using INNOVO® feel like?
  
• Have you noticed an improvement in the strength of your pelvic floor after testing for 12 weeks? If so, when did you first start to notice the improvement? What activities/ actions can you do now that you couldn’t before?
  
• Would you recommend INNOVO® to a friend with bladder sensitivity?
  
  Non testers, in order to be entered into the prize draw where one Mumsnetter will win an INNOVO® worth £249, please tell us how the machine would improve your life by strengthening your pelvic floor.
  
  All testers who complete the feedback process will be entered into a prize draw where one tester will win a £300 Love2Shop Voucher.
  
  Thanks, MNHQ
  
  Standard Insight T&Cs Apply
  
  Members of our Mumsnet Blogger Panel also reviewed the INNOVO® . You can read the reviews by clicking on the blog names below:
  
  [[http://www.hexmumblog.com/2016/07/time-restore-floor/
  Hex Mum]]
  Northern Beauty Blogs
  Mad House of Cats and Babies
  Chammy IRL
  Rachael Jess
  Testing Time Blog
  M's Memories
  Over 40 and Mum of One
  3 Princess 1 Dude
  Thoughts from Random Woman
  Autism Mumma
  Tantrums to Smiles

[123girlsandboys321]

Non tester here - probably too much information but I went to get an iud fitted after my second baby and they said my pelvic floor was so bad it was almost impossible no way I can afford to buy one being on maternity leave with 2 under 2 but it would be amazing to be able to try one out!

[OrlandaFuriosa]

Non tester, want one!

Would

Save money
Mean I didn't have to buy panty liners, and be embarrassed
Didn't have a sense of guilt about not doing my kegels
Enable me to laugh even louder at Stealth Eating Tunnocks' show
Run around with my 11 godchildren ( 0-23) even more, in trampolines, soft play
Play tennis without worrying
Cough without worrying
Not need to check where the nearest loo is the whole time

And

give my sexual partner even more pleasure

[Khaleesi1315]

No tester here this if it worked would really help me be more comfortable especially when out in tired of wearing pads all the time in case I squeeze it really has made me so self conscious would like to be back to partly what I was before control over my own bladder would be amazing

[thekiwibex]

By helping me after the birth of my first child next month!

[Mouthfulofquiz]

This looks like a fantastic machine - and after three babies and suffering with asthma / pneumonia and therefore coughing a lot, I'd be so interested to try it. I desperately want to start exercising now but just can't face the avoiding of fluids beforehand and also being any distance from home and experiencing a bad leak. I'm worried about exercising making any prolapse issues worse too. Does the innovo help with that?

[Kapoww]

I'd love to win this! It would be amazing not to have to plan outings around toilet visits anymore!

[tessr25]

I would really like to try this. I suffered from Hyperemesis Gravidarum whilst pregnant with my little girl, throwing up up to 20-30 times per day. Between that the normal pressure on my bladder from my growing baby my pelvic floor is really not what it was pre-pregnancy! I dread sneezing in public nowadays - very embarrassing!

[kittylover]

non- tester i would love this would really help my pelvic floor which would be a god send as i dread getting a cough

[Andbabymakesthree]

I really struggling with pregnancy sickness at mo and gave noticed myself leaking whilst being sick. It's bern a wake up call as to how weak my pelvic floor is. I'd definitely benefit from this product post partum.

[Maegeri]

I would love to test this product. I am a runner and I also suffer from alergic rhinitis. During a run I often dehydrate as I am too scared to drink too much beforehand. During an allergy attack its hell on earth trying not to sneeze and constantly hacimg to wear pads. I feel like an old lady! Please please please pick me to try it out!

[YouveCatToBeKittenMe]

The feedback for this product is amazing!
I have tried a lot of products to improve my pelvic floor, including cones and an internal electronic device
I have 4 children and always wear a panty liner for safety but worry that I smell of wee.
I would love to win one of these. I've just started running to get fitter and my pelvic floor issues have so far scared me into only running on a treadmill

[NakedFamilyFightClub]

If anyone still has the mumsnet discount code sent to people who didn't get picked, could you PM it to me please? I've lost the email

[TheInternetIsForPorn]

Do you know when I realised I actually have an issue with stress incontinence? When I went to a party for the first time since my second child was born and tried to dance like it was the 90's and I was a teenager again. I tried a bit of a mosh and on the first jump I couldn't contain.

And now I realise that every sneeze and cough that has been an issue for the last ew years is actually a problem that I could fix. I'd love to try it out. I hadn't really realised how much I resisted doing for fear of an accident until I realised I couldn't even bounce once!

[PacificDogwod]

I may be a lone voice hear but I would like to know what the 10% of testers who did NOT like it, did not like IYKWIM.
I'd still like to test it, you understand, and would be prepared to spend £250 if that solved my undercarriage problems, but don't want to have spent that kind of cash and then be one of the 1:10 who ?found it did not work ?found it uncomfortable ?too time consuming or whatever else.

I would be very delighted to be persuaded otherwise

[Sabra]

Non tester here. I'd love to be able to laugh & run (although it might be a bit far fetched to imagine running can be that enjoyable!) without thinking Oops! The third child definitely did the pelvic floor in....

[sweir1]

I would hope to be a bit more supple

[jandoc]

I've never tried one of these but I feel that it would just give me so much more confidence

[grease]

This would make such a difference to me. I have had 3 children and my pelvic floor muscles are very weak. I spend a lot of time looking after my Grandchildren and feel very restricted it what activities I can take part in with them. I have started to do aerobics but use a pad as I am so self conscious that I may have an accident. I would love to be able to do things spontaneously and I am sure it will help with my self confidence

[lexibc]

Non tester:

I'd love to win this product to relieve the problems of three children, with another due any day

I'd love to be able to sneeze without fear!

[cookie09]

Non tester. I would love to win one of these as i've had an incontinence problem for a few years now. I feel too ashamed and embarrassed to talk to the doctor about it and don't really like to discuss with friends. I generally just suffer in silence. I believe mine was bought on by perimenopause which started a few years ago at the ripe old age of 33. I think this would help solve my problem and make me feel like the old me again, without the worries of leaking.

[notasupermummy]

Non tester here- this product could change my life, at the moment I hate going anywhere unless I know where the loos are as I'm so worried about accidents, I am also trying to loose weight but any sport with impact is a no no so I am not reaching my goals like I had hoped! This machine could really help boost my confidance which is rock bottom at the moment and make me a better mum to my 3 kids.

[sofieellis]

Non-tester. I have three kids and suffer terribly from hayfever. I'd love to try this, to see if it helps to stop leaking during my frequent sneezing fits!

[Clarabell33]

Tester here. Started using INNOVO a bit late due to holidays but all caught up now!

-How did you find the process of learning to use INNOVO®? Did you receive support where needed?
Pretty straightforward - friendly support team and the set up guide was clear. There was also a video which helped too. It was a bit fiddly to set up initially but soon got the hang of using it.

-What did you do to pass the time while using INNOVO®?
Watched tv, read, spent time on the internet... the same sort of thing I'd normally do on a quiet evening. I did hide in the bedroom though rather than being in the living room!

-What did the sensation of using INNOVO® feel like?
The closest comparison is to my TENS machine - tingly, occasionally almost itchy/stinging feeling, but manageable with the control. Not the most pleasant thing, but then neither is wearing a pad for leaks all the time!

-Have you noticed an improvement in the strength of your pelvic floor after testing for 12 weeks? If so, when did you first start to notice the improvement? What activities/ actions can you do now that you couldn’t before?
My main reason for applying to be a tester was that I was having to wear a pad for day-to-day life, which was a pain, and a source of anxiety if I forgot to wear one as I couldn't predict when I might leak - sneezing or coughing, running for the bus etc are the obvious ones but it was surprising how many little activities might cause me to leak. I do a lot of exercise classes and if I forgot to wear a pad for that, I would have to limit the impact (e.g. not jumping, doing low-impact options) which defeated the purpose for me and made me feel pretty crap. I was also planning my outfits around what might happen if I had a leak... not a great way to live.

I first noticed a change after about 2-3 weeks, and began to be more confident about not wearing a pad after about 6 weeks. I think I first went out without a pad in week 7 and gradually have stopped altogether. I have even stopped wearing them for exercise classes now - was very nervous the first few times and I did keep on wearing them for much longer than I probably needed to, but all was fine!

-Would you recommend INNOVO® to a friend with bladder sensitivity?
Absolutely, and already have recommended to a couple of mums from my antenatal classes who I know are struggling with the same problem. It has made such a big difference - I was not very keen on the idea of a second child after a fairly horrible labour/birth and how long that had an impact on my life, but am a tiny bit more optimistic now that there is a device to actually help with at least one of the problems pregnancy/labour can cause, instead of waiting months for a physio (I am still waiting for my GP's referral to bear fruit, not that I need it now!).

[JustSeven]

Non-tester here but I NEED one of these, would definitely try one if I could afford it. My pelvic floor is shot to pieces after the very fast arrival of DC4 two years ago.

This would absolutely change my life by enabling me to spend more time playing and messing around with DS while I'm able to. He has a life-limiting muscle-wasting disease and will lose the ability to walk within the next few years, I don't like saying no to him but it makes me so self-conscious, if it's not wee it's the other side 😳

[Underbeneathsies]

Any chance these could be rented from boots or similar, like tens machines and breast pumps are?

I'm sure there's a market for that. I mean do you have to use them every day of your life from when you start, or could 12 weeks every year do you?

Also, is there an instalments payments scheme. The full price is a lot at one go. How about a zero interest monthly charge?

I had a massive crash caesarean incision which cut all my abdominal muscles, after almost getting the baby out vaginally, so I got damaged from all angles.
I've spent thousands on a private physio trying to reconnect with the muscles in my pelvic floor as the nerves were all cut. I had to stop going as it was getting too expensive.

As a hay fever sufferer, and a mum who wants to stay fit I'd love to give this a try.... I feel like I'm a shadow of my former active self.. I have to think about all sudden moves, and clench, and even then I have accidents. I think it's added to my weight gain as I'm not as active as I used to be, and then this has a negative feedback as being heavier makes incontinence worse.

Maybe mumsnet could buy 10 of them and we could rotate them amongst MNetters for a pelvic floor INNOVO® Club fee? We could do a postal rota of the machines, (back to INNOVO® to be checked out) as we would have out own personal use sticky pads, and have booster sessions every year if needed.

I'd pay £52 a year to be in the INNOVO® club! Who's with me?

It's just my idea on how we could get together and share the experience too, as part of the shame and misery of incontinence is the feeling of being isolated and alone.

Chins up gals! We are not alone.
I'm sure there's a solution to this horrible problem so many of us have.