Pessary fitting
Pessary is a silicon soft device that is inserted into the vagina to give the walls extra support. It can give significant improvement on leaking and feeling of heaviness in the pelvic floor post birth. A bra for your breasts is what a pessary is for your vagina!
Bladder Training
Bladder training involves scheduling your bathroom trips to increase the time between them and improve bladder control. Normally, adults should pee 6-8 times a day, with nighttime trips not exceeding twice. Each bathroom visit produces about 250-400 ml of urine, with the first morning pee possibly up to 600 ml. If your data is sitting quite far from the above norm, and you are leaking, it’s time to chat with your pelvic health physio.
Lifestyle Changes
Simple changes in your daily routine can help manage urinary incontinence:
- Fluid Management: Keep an eye on what and how much you drink. Try to limit caffeine and alcohol, which can irritate your bladder.
- Weight Management: Keeping a healthy weight can reduce the pressure on your bladder and pelvic floor muscles.
- Exercise Modifications: If you notice leakage during exercise, a pelvic floor physiotherapist can help you adjust your workout to be kinder to your bladder.
Yes… this is me. What’s next?
If urinary incontinence is bothering you or not improving, it’s time to visit a pelvic floor physiotherapist. A vaginal internal assessment is often performed to examine your pelvic floor baseline pre and postpartum. A thorough assessment can give a comprehensive treatment plan. If you’re in Sydney, Papaya Clinic is a multidisciplinary clinic that can help improve your symptoms and more.
Unsure what to expect in your first appointment? Read this article here.
To learn more about managing urinary incontinence and improving your pelvic health, check out the following resources:
- Pelvic Health Physio
- Bladder Incontinence
- Pregnancy and Postpartum Care Protocol
- Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. (2017). Stress Urinary Incontinence Guide
- What to expect in your first Pelvic health assessment
References
- NICE Guidelines (2019). Urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse in women: management. Retrieved from NICE guideline NG123
- Woodley, S. J., et al. (2017). Pelvic floor muscle training for preventing and treating urinary and faecal incontinence in antenatal and postnatal women. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.
- Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. (2017). Stress Urinary Incontinence Guide
To find out more, visit the Papaya Clinic website and connect with them on Instagram and Facebook.
