Mums ‘need not put up with incontinence’
Issue Codes Incontinence Products for Women
Women who have given birth should not view urinary incontinence as an avoidable part of motherhood, it has been claimed.
Noreen Dockery, a chartered physiotherapist who specialises in rehabilitating the pelvic floor, told the Irish Independent that female incontinence is a “very common” problem.
She revealed that a greater number of women are choosing to seek help for incontinence nowadays, but that she still sees patients who wait until their children are teenagers before getting advice.
According to Ms Dockery, it is “far preferential” to deal with post-pregnancy incontinence a few months after a woman has given birth.
“It is hard for women, though, especially with a new baby; but, if it’s left too late, symptoms can deteriorate, especially in menopause when the muscle tone gets more relaxed and hormones are involved,” she explained.
Ms Dockery revealed that one of the goals of physiotherapy for this condition is to lengthen or relax the woman’s pelvic floor muscles so that they are no longer in spasm.
“The pelvic floor muscles are very much connected to the abdominal muscles, and releasing tension here can have a major effect on the tension found in the pelvic floor,” she told the news provider.
“Most patients feel their pelvic floor is weak but in actual fact the resting tension or already elevated tone prevents the muscle from lifting any higher.”
The physiotherapist also emphasised the fact that women with female incontinence should not feel isolated, as many other women suffer from the same issues after having children.
Studies suggest that about 13 per cent of women in the UK are affected by urinary incontinence to some extent, along with five per cent of men.
There are a number of other risk factors for incontinence alongside childbirth, including age, depression and a high intake of caffeine.
Risk of re-operation ‘low’ after surgery for urinary incontinence
Issue Codes Incontinence Products for Women
The vast majority of women who undergo surgery for female incontinence do not need additional surgery in the future, new research has found.
Scientists at Geneva University Hospitals carried out a study to determine the incidence of re-operation among women with urinary incontinence.
They also wanted to identify any risk factors associated with an increased likelihood of needing further surgery.
The researchers studied 1,132 women, all of whom underwent surgery for stress urinary incontinence between January 1988 and June 2007.
Stress incontinence is one of the most common types of urinary incontinence and occurs when the pelvic floor muscles become too weak to prevent urination, particularly when the person coughs or laughs and places their bladder under pressure.
The scientists found that 3.1 per cent (35 women) had a second operation during the study period because they were still relying on incontinence supplies, such as Tena Pants, to manage their stress urinary incontinence.
Older personal trainers may have better understanding of incontinence
Issue Codes Incontinence Products for Women
Older personal trainers may be more suitable for seniors as they are more likely to understand issues such as adult incontinence, it has been claimed.
According to an article in the Ventura County Star, older trainers are increasingly in demand as clients often wish to train with someone who understands their concerns and challenges.
Geri Arnais, a 61-year-old personal trainer in Oak Park, California, believes her own age helps her to train older clients.
She explained that many younger trainers “may not have the experience and tricks in their bag” to accommodate the spinal and joint problems that affect many older people.
Ms Arnais also described her own experience with an over-enthusiastic trainer in his late 20s.
She revealed: “I’m 61 years old and he’s got me jumping, jumping, jumping.
“He doesn’t know about (stress) incontinence or women who have had four kids who may have incontinence.”
Stress incontinence is one of the most common types of urinary incontinence, which affects around 13 per cent of women.
Muscle cell injections ‘may ease adult incontinence’
Issue Codes Incontinence Products for Women
People who are affected by adult incontinence may benefit from receiving injections of their own muscle cells, experts believe.
Scientists are currently conducting three clinical trials involving around 300 women to see if the therapy works, the Daily Mail reports.
The goal of the treatment is to improve the strength of the muscles around the bladder, thereby reducing women’s reliance on incontinence supplies.
Early research suggests that the majority of women with stress urinary incontinence are likely to benefit from the advance.
Dr Raj Persad, consultant urologist and senior clinical lecturer at Bristol University, told the Daily Mail: “This is a great contribution towards non-operative treatment of stress urinary incontinence.
“Wider-scale randomised trials are needed, but these results are encouraging.”
Stress incontinence is one of the two most common types of urinary incontinence and occurs where the pelvic floor muscles become too weak to prevent urination, particularly when coughing or laughing.
Kegel exercises useful for stress incontinence
Issue Codes - Incontinence Products for Women
Women who suffer from stress incontinence are likely to benefit from regular exercises to help them regain bladder control, it has been claimed.
Stress incontinence occurs when the pelvic floor muscles have weakened and are unable to prevent urination. Typically, leakage occurs when the person’s bladder is under pressure, such as when they cough, laugh or move heavy objects.
Writing on the South Coast Today website in response to a reader’s question, medic Dr Paul Donohue revealed that Kegel exercises are an important approach for treating stress incontinence. “First you have to learn which muscles to contract,” he revealed. “You learn by deliberately stopping the flow of urine.
“When you have learned what to do, begin the exercises when you’re not urinating. Contract those muscles tightly, hold that contraction for three seconds, relax and rest for three seconds, and perform another 11 consecutive contractions and relaxations.”
According to Dr Donohue, these exercises should be performed several times each day and the contractions should gradually be lengthened until the muscles are being squeezed for ten seconds each time.
The medic noted that people with adult continence will not notice an improvement overnight, but that they should soon see “enough improvement to restart your social life”.
Majority of women with incontinence ‘benefit from physical therapy’
Issue Codes - Incontinence Accessories and Hygiene
Female incontinence is a common problem, but many women are reluctant to seek help because of a sense of embarrassment.
In reality, however, many women can greatly reduce their reliance on adult incontinence products simply by performing regular exercises, according to physical therapist Lisa Kiesel.
Ms Kiesel, who specialises in pelvic floor problems, told the News Junky Journal: “Scientific evidence shows that 80 per cent of women can improve with physical therapy that focuses on muscle strength and healthy bladder habits.
“There are treatments that help so women don’t have to deal with these annoying symptoms.”
About 13 per cent of women in the UK are thought to be affected by female incontinence, according to NHS figures.
In the vast majority of cases, the problem is caused by stress or urge incontinence.
Stress incontinence occurs when the pelvic floor muscles are too weak to prevent urination, while leakage that occurs when a woman feels an intense need to pass urine is known as urge incontinence.
Study sheds light on causes of pelvic organ prolapse
US scientists have discovered the cause of pelvic organ prolapse – a condition that affects many women over the age of 50 and can lead to stool and urinary incontinence.
Dr Ann Word, professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at UT Southwestern Medical Centre, found that the condition is caused by a combination of a loss of elasticity and a breakdown of proteins in the vaginal wall. She revealed: “We found that the protein fibulin-5, which until now simply has been known to be important in generating elastic fibres, actually blocks the enzymes that degrade proteins that support the vaginal wall structure.
“The elastic fibres do play a role, but it’s also the enzymes that degrade the matrix that break down both collagen and elastin over time.” Dr Word’s findings, which are published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, may pave the way for the development of new therapies that target these enzymes and help to tackle the problem. Figures suggest that about half of women who have had children are affected by pelvic organ prolapse, in which the womb, bladder or vagina protrude from the body.
Revolutionary pelvic toning device available on NHS
Women with stress incontinence should consider talking to their doctor about a pioneering device that could improve their condition.
The PelvicToner is designed to exercise the pelvic floor muscles, which often weaken after childbirth and during the menopause.
As a result of this muscle weakening, many women experience stress incontinence, where urine leaks when the bladder is under pressure, such as when they cough or laugh.
Now, women can benefit from the spring-loaded PelvicToner device, which has been clinically proven to treat the condition and has been approved for use on the NHS. Professor Marcus Drake, a researcher at the British Urology Institute who led a two-year trial of the product, said: “Continence service provision is patchy and this sort of product empowers women, gives them better privacy and the prospect of not wasting their time. “In our study the PelvicToner aided women to identify their pelvic floor confidently.”
New mums can obtain the device free of charge as long as they have a maternity exemption certificate, while women who pay for their prescriptions can get it for just £7.40.
Nintendo Wii software may reduce incontinence in women
Women who are relying on incontinence products after giving birth may benefit from a new software program for the Nintendo Wii.
PhysioFun Pelvic Floor Training is designed to help women train their pelvic floor muscles, thereby reducing symptoms of urinary incontinence.
Developed in collaboration with the Dr Becker hospital group in Germany, the software contains a 30-day training programme, the intensity of which can be tailored to the individual. With just ten minutes a day, women can strengthen their pelvic floor muscles and follow their progress with the help of statistics.
The program could be beneficial for any woman with urinary incontinence, not just those who have recently given birth.
Thomas Claus, from the Dr Becker Hospital Group in Nuembrecht, said: “The PhysioFun Pelvic Floor Training provides significant training success, specifically with the postnatal exercises after pregnancy.
“We recommend its use also in connection with muscle-related urinary incontinence for seniors.”
According to the NHS Choices website, women who develop stress incontinence during pregnancy or in the first six weeks after giving birth are more likely to have stress incontinence five years later.
In addition, stress incontinence tends to be more common after a vaginal birth than a caesarean section.
Scientists start clinical trial of new incontinence drug
Researchers are conducting a phase I/II clinical trial involving an experimental therapy for urinary incontinence. A total of 60 patients with urinary incontinence will take part in the trial, which some participants receiving the novel drug – called UISH001 – and others receiving a placebo (dummy drug).
The company is being trialled by Beech Tree Labs, which is based in Rhode Island, US.
About 200 million people around the world – including around 13 per cent of women and five per cent of men in the UK – are affected by urinary incontinence, so the drug could have important implications if shown to be effective.
Dr John McMichael, founder and chief executive officer of Beech Tree Labs, revealed: “The incidence of urinary incontinence is increasing as a consequence, in part, of our ageing society. “It represents an unmet medical need since most of the products now available are accompanied by adverse effects for a significant number of patients. This phase-IIa trial is being conducted to determine if UISH001 can meet that need.”
A previous small trial of the drug suggested that it may be effective at treating urge, stress and mixed incontinence.