Embarrassing questions of the day!

[yaya]

Ever since the birth of my two boys (now 9 & 6) I tend to um...leak when doing higher impact moves like jumping jacks or scissors, even running is sometimes a problem. Some days are much worse than others.

My trainer (who has no children) says she used to have a problem with this as well and thinks it's from years of teaching high-impact aerobic classes. She says hers has gotten better from doing yoga and pilates.

Does anyone else have this problem? If so, how are you dealing with it? I have a really hard time remembering to do Kegels. My latest is trying to remind myself to try to hold one everytime I'm at a stoplight.

Any other suggestions?? I truly hope I'm not alone here! Yikes!

[nancylou372003]

Yaya,
I had a c-section, so I do not have this problem, but a friend of mine had successful bladder surgery to correct this (sorry, I don't remember the exact name of the procedure). You may want to check with your gyn or a urologist for specifics.

Nancylou

[sarita]

I highly recommend that look for a Urogynecologist (and preferably female) in your area.

[Vintage VFer]

We have had several threads about bladder issues. Here is one. You might try doing a search using different words:

http://69.93.245.62/forum/showthread.php?t=52825

You will see that you are NOT alone!

[la mancha]

Hi there:

I talked to my doctor about this a couple months ago and it is called stress incontinence. She referred me to a physical therapist. The exercises were kegels done quickly, kegels that were held for ten seconds, kegels done with a small ball ( medicine ball would be perfect) between your knees and squats. On the squats the pelvic floor muscles are pulled up on the way down and relaxed on the exhale.
I would talk to your doctor to see if you could be referred for therapy.

Lori

[Peggy T]

Heck, all I have to do is sneeze!

[Leela]

I do kegels too, but this gives me an added sense of security.

[getstrong]

Your doctor will recommend different options depending on what is causing it. I read that 45% of women have pelvic floor problems some time during their life, and stress incontinence is the most common one.

Mine is more urgency, and related to a prolapse. My options were surgery, HRT, a pessary, or do nothing. I started with the pessary, and it put things in their proper place so kegels could be effective. I have to remove it to do kegels, so I have been using it only on weak muscle days. The kegels are supposed to take as long as a year for improvement. For some types of incontinence, pills help. Surgery can make incontinence worse instead of fixing it, but the doc thinks it's fixable.

If it's only a slight leakage, light days pads give you added security.

My mom's assisted living nurse told me that after 40, women don't completely empty their bladders, which leads to infections and makes urgency worse. I always start with a bathroom trip before exercising or leaving the house, and wait a bit to see if I am completely empty. I really noticed a difference with that second effort, so it's worth the extra time.

[binky10]

Originally Posted by Peggy T

Heck, all I have to do is sneeze!

LOL - Me too!

[ooty]

Originally Posted by Barb K

LOL - Me too!

Me three...sneeze, cough. If I know a sneeze is coming and hold my abs in carefully and let it out carefully, I am spared sometimes. I don't think I do my Kegels right.

I cannot jump-rope because of this, but I have managed jumping-jacks by holding my abs in. I could not rebound for more than 2 or 3 minutes, but I rebounded for 50 minutes with a Spandex shorts and it seemed fine.

Glad to know I am not the only one..have to remember to Kegel..I do it wrong and pull in my abs...