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.

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

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.

Stress Incontinence
This is the most common type of incontinence and is common in women after childbirth or menopause. Usually only a small amount of urine leaks out but this can be enough to cause embarrassment or concern. This often happens due to physical exertion.

Urge Incontinence
Urge is the second most common type of incontinence. It is also known as an overactive bladder. With this type of bladder weakness, the bladder contracts involuntarily, leading to the release of large amounts of urine.

Overflow Incontinence
This is common in older men, the urine outflow tube passes through the middle of the prostate, and any enlargement of this gland presses on the urethra (urine tube). This makes it difficult for the bladder to empty and fill up completely, and a pool of urine constantly remains in the bladder

Reflex Incontinence
Having no control over their bladder at all is called reflex bladder. Some people have it all their lives or it can develop after injury or illness.

Mixed Incontinence
The experience of mixed symptoms at the same time.

Faecal Incontinence
Faecal incontinence is the involuntary leakage of faecal material from the back passage. This type of incontinence may occur only occasionally or it may be a persistent problem of many years’ duration.

Whichever type of incontinence you may have, Allanda can provide the right best protection to suit you and your lifestyle.

Pelvic exercises can be the answer to some kinds of womens incontinence, many women have experienced benefits from this exercises. Pelvic floor muscles are like any other muscle in the human body, so it can get bigger and stronger if exercised. Around 25% of stress incontinence is cured by pelvic exercises.

Before jumping to conclusions it’s advisable to see a doctor and let him or her give a more precise diagnosis of your incontinence problem.

Specialists can help patients see how well they are doing with their pelvic exercises by inserting an electrode into the patient’s vagina before squeezing the muscle, the electrode has a micro-camera so patients will see their muscle activity on a TV screen. This helps the patient understand how tight they need to squeeze in order to prevent stress incontinence.

There are two types of pelvic exercises, both proven to increase strength of the pelvic floor muscles. One is called ’slow pull ups’ and the other is called ‘fast pull ups’, both are very simple, you can choose whether to be standing, sitting or lying, for the slow pull ups you need to tighten and pull the pelvic muscle as hard as they can, hold it for at least five seconds and repeat it five times. For the fast pull ups stay on the same position and pull the muscle quickly and tightly and relax immediately, also repeat it five times.

As any other exercise they need to be done regularly, most Doctors recommend doing them at least 10 times a day for greater results against incontinence. For more help and advise in managing your incontinence please contact us at Allanda

When functioning properly the body relies on combining nervous control with structural design, to make passing urine a subtle subconscious action.

This control can be affected by health problems such as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and pelvic surgery.

Urinary incontinence is more common in Women because childbirth remains one of the main risk factors.

A possible cause of urinary incontinence is if you have a episiotomy during childbirth (a cut made in the tissues of the birth canal to allow easier passage of the baby).  This is quite a controversial issue and the most recent evidence seems to suggest that episiotomies don’t significantly increase the risk.

As well as childbirth, the menopause, with its loss of female hormones, is also a common cause of urinary incontinence. The hormone Oestrogen is essential for helping the tissues keep their strength and elasticity. So when levels of Oestrogen fall, the delicate body tissues become dry and thin, and muscles more lax.

Although urinary incontinence becomes more common with age, it’s not inevitable.

Here at Allanda we can provide you with the right incontinence protection whatever the cause.

The website Continencenurse.net have just published ten facts that every nurse should know about Incontinence, these are based around recent research and in some cases challenge long held beliefs. We thought some of these may be useful to patients and nurses who visit this site:

1. Incontinence is not a normal outcome of ageing.

The inability to control urine is one of the most unpleasant and distressing problems from which a person can suffer, often causing isolation, depression and physiological problems. Urinary incontinence is NOT part of the normal aging process but it IS a sign of an underlying problem that requires careful assessment.

2. Patients are more likely to discuss incontinence problems, symptoms and treatments with a nurse than with a doctor.

The widespread stigma around patients around incontinence places a greater burden on nurses to introduce the topic of bladder control. Nurses understand the best ways to initiate a dialogue with patients, put them at ease, and encourage them to talk about symptoms, related issues and lifestyle changes. They can offer significant help to their patients in overcoming their reluctance to discuss bladder control problems — after all, in a recent poll, nurses were named the health care professionals most trusted by the public.

3. Incontinence can often be cured or improved with simple lifestyle changes.

Many people with symptoms of urinary incontinence (UI) or overactive bladder (OAB, symptoms of which include urinary urgency, frequency and frequent trips to the bathroom at night) find their symptoms improve as a response to changes in their behaviour, environment, or lifestyle. New skills, habits, and strategies for preventing UI and lifestyle changes, such as smoking cessation, weight reduction, dietary and fluid intake changes, bowel regulation, bladder retraining, and pelvic floor muscle exercises are all included.

4. Kegel exercises work and should be encouraged for men and women.

Also known as pelvic floor exercises, Kegels can significantly improve various types of incontinence in men and women. It is important for people to know about Kegel exercises because they are a type of simple, inexpensive, self-care that really works. Up to 80% of the incontinent population can benefit from Kegel exercises.