More and more women are having C-sections, which could be partly due to concerns about the dangers of vaginal delivery, Dr. C. E. Turner of the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney reports.

Australian researchers have sought to put a number on how much risk pregnant women would be willing to accept before opting for a C-section. They looked at 17 potential complications, including various degrees of vaginal tearing, faecal incontinence or urinary incontinence.

For each of the complications, the participants gave a percentage for the risk they would be willing to accept before deciding on a C-section.

Pregnant women were least willing to accept the risk of severe anal incontinence; on average, they said that if the risk of having this complication was any greater than 32% they would want a C-section.

Emergency C-section, moderate anal incontinence, severe urinary incontinence, and severe tears were less acceptable to pregnant women than pain, less severe tears, and prolonged labour.

Severe or moderate anal incontinence and urinary incontinence were among the top 5 least acceptable risks for the pregnant women.

‘When the women were informed of these rates at the end of the interview, they felt generally relieved.’

The researchers are currently involved in a study looking at whether women’s views changed after giving birth.

Allanda can provide all the products and advice for all  your incontinence needs.

Claire Bohr, a paediatric nurse from the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, is the winner of the continence category at the Nursing Times Awards 2008.

Ms Claire Bohr introduced a bowel management programme using transanal irrigation for children experiencing faecal incontinence and soiling problems.

During her time working with the children, she found that some of the children experienced social isolation, lack of self-esteem and name calling at school due to their condition.

As a result the nurse came up with a solution that could help, she identified that transanal irrigation was used in Europe and US but not in the UK, as no specifically designed equipment was available.

Working with her medical colleagues, Claire implemented a programme using anal irrigation with very positive results for the children in her care.

Judges were impressed by Ms Bohr’s ability to look beyond the scope of her role as a stoma nurse and work with medical colleagues and industry to find solutions for her patients.

The medical manufacturing company EastMed Inc., which is catered specifically for women’s health, has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to market its flagship product.

The company’s CEO, James Lodigiani said. ‘We are delighted to get the official word from the FDA.’

Uresta Continence Care is designed to stop bladder leakage and help women to manage incontinence with a conservative alternative to traditional products and surgery.

It is estimated 1 in 3 women worldwide have incontinence and more than half of those have urinary infection.

Founder of EastMed. said: Urinary infection ‘is a widespread, life-altering condition and requires a solution that women can easily and comfortably manage.’

EastMed Inc. was awarded the 2008 Medical Design Excellence Award in recognition of its innovative design for women who suffer with urinary infection and is available by description in the USA.

We can imagine the embarrassment and inconvenience that incontinence can cause in women, dealing with some of the embarrassing symptoms is only half of the battle.

Incontinence can also have psychological impacts on women. Reports suggest some women suffering from stress incontinence have put their social life on hold and refuse to go out of the house or go away on holiday.

NHS Direct estimates that one in five UK women over 40 suffer from stress incontinence, which is often caused by childbirth or menopause, and that incontinence can affect women of all ages.

Fortunately there are many solutions available to help women get over incontinence and live a normal life. One of these solutions is a revolutionary product that was launched late last year called IncoStress.(available to buy here in our shop)

IncoStress British female inventor Gaynor Morgan is so aware of the problems and inconvenience caused by incontinence she is issuing a challenge to all British women with any degree of stress incontinence or bladder weakness symptoms.

The Five Step IncoStress Laugh & Leak Challenge

1. If you suffer any degree of stress incontinence – bladder weakness do something about it this week

2. Talk to your doctor to check for underlying problems

3. Research and buy a stress incontinence alleviation product

4. Take up an activity you have avoided because of incontinence

5. Talk to your friends and encourage them to do something about it

The research done by the University of Glamorgan will ask women what information they need to help them deal with incontinence. The Study could also lead to the development of specific information tailored towards women’s needs.

This comes after research carried out by Dr Christine Shaw found that few women from incontinence seeked help for the condition.

She said: ‘Only about 15% of women with symptoms of frequency or urgency seek help largely because they are embarrassed and they believe that there is very little treatment available.’

‘There is also a lack of knowledge about the symptoms and a lot of women believe that it is just part of the ageing process or consequence of having had a baby or two.’

The study will involve about 20 women who are experiencing incontinence, in particular those who have not sought help from their GP. It will ask them about what they believe will be the best form of help for them.

Dr Shaw said: ‘One model is the expert patient programme which is a group-based intervention that helps people self-manage a condition.’

‘Another approach may be information on the internet, but because incontinence is an age-related condition, there may be issues about access.’

‘We’re trying to find out what women would prefer and what type of information they want, be it about self-management, treatment or help from health professionals.’

When experiencing incontinence your pelvic muscles become weaker, but as with all muscles they can be strengthened again. Pelvic floor exercises are a great way of achieving this.

Here are some tips to help you get started:

- Carry out pelvic floor exercises for 5 minutes 3 times a day. This will help to strengthen your bladder, therefore giving you more control.

- Be careful not to exercise other muscles at the same time, as this can put more pressure on the bladder.

- The exercises: Lie on the floor, pull in the pelvic floor muscles and hold for a count of three, repeat this 10-15 times.

- Do you pelvic floor exercises three times a day.

- Most people begin to notice a difference after 3-6 weeks, so be patient, the results will be worth it.

For information on Allanda’s products and services please click here.

Allanda knows how important personal hygiene and skin health is to our customers. So that’s why we retail a range of skincare specifically designed for those experiencing incontinence.

Our range includes:

- Body Wash Cloths

- *Abena Washing Foam

- Wash Glove

- Abena Washing Lotion

- Abena Wet Wipes

- Gloves

For more details please click here.

*Abena skincare products are designed by a protective healthcare business with particular emphasis on total incontinence management.

According to an Italian study in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, incontinence keeps many women from taking part in sports.

In a survey of 679 Italian young and middle-aged women, researchers found that 1 in 7 were bothered by urinary stress incontinence.

Dr. Stefano Salvatore from the University of Insubria found that being overweight or having children boosted the likelihood of having urinary stress incontinence.

One in 10 women said the problem led them to give up their favorite sport, while one in 5 women said they limited the way they engaged in the sport in a bid to reduce leaking.

Sports with repetitive bouncing, such as tennis and squash, were associated with the highest incidence of incontinence episodes.

Researchers of this study say it shows that urinary incontinence, even when mild, can have a harmful impact on the quality of women’s lives by limiting their participation in sporting activities. Despite this, few women seek help.

Salvatore adds: Women ‘should be given information and offered diagnostic and conservative therapeutic options,’ including pelvic floor exercises, which have proven to be very effective in alleviating urinary incontinence.

Allanda can provide you with all the right incontinence products to help you live a healthy and happy lifestyle, for information please click here.

A new research conducted in Italy revealed one in the ten women gave up recreational activities due to urinary incontinence.

Italian researchers interviewed 700 women, one in seven revealed they suffered from incontinence; this is backed up by another research from the British Journal of Sports Medicine who says that one in two women suffered from urinary incontinence at some point in their lives.

Researchers believe figures would be higher if women going through menopause were included in the research.

The study concluded that urinary incontinence affects women’s quality of life in many aspects, but what concerns the researchers is the fact that only few women search for treatment.

Researchers suggested women should be given more information on urinary incontinence and offered remedial support and treatment.

Louise Price, from south Wales, talks openly about her incontinence, which is caused by multiple sclerosis.

She is 1 of 14m people in the UK who have some kind of bladder control problem.

Louise Price said she was in so much pain she sought help quickly and was lucky to have a supportive husband and friends she could confide in. She was equally as open with her work colleagues which allowed her to continue in her job.

But the stigma that comes with condition can result in some people with incontinence being silent about it for years.

National Continence Awareness Week, from 15 - 19 September, aims to raise awareness of bowel and bladder problems and let people know that help is available.

Karen Logan, a nurse consultant and head of continence services, said some people refused to tell their closest friends, let alone seek medical help:

‘The biggest frustration for us is that people don’t come forward and suffer in silence.’

‘It’s normal for people to suffer for 5 to 10 years with an overactive bladder or stress incontinence, triggered by sneezing or coughing for example.’

Problems can range in severity from a mildly overactive bladder, to neurological conditions or impairments, such as MS and extreme diabetes, which can cause incontinence.

In more extreme cases like Mrs Price’s, a disposable catheter can be inserted after urination to help empty the bladder.

Louise Price said her life had been transformed and urged anybody with bladder or bowel problems to seek help:

‘You will not be the first case anyone has heard about and you won’t be the last. It’s about getting your quality of life back.’

Here at Allanda we can provide you with all the incontinence care needed, to live a comfortable lifestyle.