News
Sophie* is a 32-year-old woman who has three children. During the birth of her first child, she had a difficult time, experiencing a long labour and having to push for over two hours. She was exhausted and eventually the obstetrician had to use forceps to help deliver the baby.
On most working days, Anna Lennie’s first thought on waking is “I wonder what today will bring.” As the only pelvic floor physiotherapist in Central Australia, Anna describes her work as diverse, frequently challenging, and the conditions and people she treats often totally unexpected. A new day could bring her just about anything.
Women’s experience of menopause is highly influenced by cultural attitudes and beliefs towards menopause and menopausal symptoms, as well as socioeconomic and lifestyle factors. A comparison of the menopausal experiences of several ethnic groups reveals some enlightening and interesting differences.
A former elite athlete and corporate lawyer, Kimberley Smith was used to functioning at her peak. Like so many women, she was understandably shocked by the impact childbirth had on her body and so began her journey to return to exercise in a safe and positive way.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE KEY SIGNS OF PERIMENOPAUSE?
Perimenopause can begin anywhere from five to eight years before menopause and women may start to experience symptoms from their early 40s. The early signs of perimenopause are changes in the menstrual cycle, which may become heavier, lighter, longer, or shorter, changes in mood such as irritability, anxiety or low mood, and other physical symptoms such as hot flushes, night sweats and sleep disturbances.
Lyz Evans, Titled Pelvic Health Physiotherapist. Clinical Masters: Women’s Health & Continence. B.App.Sci: Phy.
When 24-year-old Christin Young walked into the urology clinic at a major Sydney hospital, she was struck by the fact that she was the only person under 30 in the room. “There was nothing to validate me as a young person experiencing incontinence,” she says. “There was no information at all about urinary problems in young people and I felt it reinforced that incontinence is an older person’s issue and it was not okay for me to be experiencing it.”
Amanda* first noticed bladder weakness, manifesting as urinary urgency and frequency, after the birth of her first child. At the time she thought it was just something she had in common with several of the women in her mother’s group. “This is when I started the ‘I better go just in case’ routine because I didn’t want to be out and wet myself,” says Amanda*.
This Women’s Health Week (WHW) the Continence Foundation of Australia has formed a community partnership with Jean Hailes and we are focussing on pelvic floor muscle health across a woman’s lifespan. This targets three important groups including teens and young women, pregnancy and post-partum and menopause and the years beyond.
By Vicki Patton, Clinical Services lead, continence foundation of australia
WHY DO I SOIL MY UNDERWEAR?
Having a small amount of bowel incontinence (or soiling) can be very distressing and embarrassing.
There is not much that is interesting about a bin, but for one in ten Australian men, the presence of disposal bins for incontinence products in public toilets can have a profound impact on their lives.
WHAT ARE LOWER URINARY TRACT SYMPTOMS (LUTS)?
Article provided with kind permission of Healthy Male
“It is a myth that incontinence is only a women’s problem; it’s more common in men than we appreciate.”
These are the words of Dr Darren Katz, a urologist, and the medical director of Men’s Health Melbourne. He specialises in continence issues, voiding dysfunction, erectile dysfunction, and male infertility.
Each year, the Continence Foundation of Australia calls for nominations for the Carer of the Year Award, to publicly recognise the important role that carers hold in ensuring the health and wellbeing of so many in our community. The Carer of the Year Award was presented during the National Conference on Incontinence in May 2022.
In March 2011, Allan became severely incontinent after undergoing an operation to remove his prostate gland due to cancer. After seeing a Nurse Continence Specialist, he joined a support group where he learnt about managing his incontinence and was advised to apply for the Continence Aids Payment Scheme (CAPS).
Pelvic Floor Muscle Training in men - correct technique
Firstly, think of what it feels like to be busting to go to the toilet and the pressure "down there."
Thirty-six-year-old William’s incontinence started approximately three and a half years ago. At the time he was moving from Canberra to start a new life in Sydney, and so thought his constant need to urinate was a symptom of nerves and anxiety. Due to frequent urges to urinate, he gradually began experiencing leakage.
REHABILITATION FOR MALE PELVIC FLOOR MUSCLES WITH PHYSIOTHERAPIST DAVID COWLEY
David Cowley works as the Men’s Health Clinical Stream Leader at Active Rehabilitation Physiotherapy in Brisbane. He has a special interest in physiotherapy to rehabilitate pelvic floor muscles for men.
Pelvic Floor Muscle Function in men: Continence Control for Life!
In 2021, World Continence Week focused on the national launch of the BINS4Blokes campaign, which highlighted a massive gap in the existence of incontinence product disposal bins for males in public toilet facilities across Australia.