Incontinence advice please

Fennel

I was reading up about this recently and it also mentioned that local estriol/estradiol eg Vagifem can also help to strengthen the muscles in that area.

That is true Fennel. I have a prolapse and was prescribed Estriol in pessary form, it did improve things but even though it was applied topically I stopped applying it after I had breast cancer. I have had two Mammograms since with no problems identified so I am going to ask for it again.

Sparklefizz

Goodness, I wouldn't contemplate surgery, especially after the mesh scandal, without really working at pelvic floor exercises first. And as others have said, trampolining is very bad for our pelvic floors, especially after the menopause.

I had 2 prolapses, front and back, and have reversed them by following the pelvic exercises shown in a DVD from www.hab-it.com which my osteopath recommended. Easy to do exercises, and I never even had to move on to the advanced ones, plus the exercises have helped my lower back so I don't need to visit the osteopath nowadays either.

Thank you for that link Sparklefizz, I have purchased the exercises and hopefully they will improve things for me more than the pelvic floor exercises I have been doing.

Good luck Jane43. I'm sure they will work for you.

I recommend Modibodi knickers. Quite expensive but you no longer need pads thus saving money and environmentally friendly. They are very comfortable and absorbent.
I have also used the Innovo shorts which exercise your pelvic floor while you are sitting browsing GN.

NainCC

Can anyone tell me how long they took to see improvement from doing pelvic floor exercises? I was referred to the local women's physio department and have been using the Squeezy app for about 9 months, doing the exercises pretty faithfully. I'd hoped to get results by now but can't say there's much difference.

I also wonder whether pelvic floor exercises work for everyone. Most information suggests that incontinence is not “normal” and can be dealt with by the exercises. However, the widespread availability and advertising of Tena and similar products would suggest that the problem is very common.

My own experience started over 20 years ago when I mentioned issue to GP and was referred to physiotherapist. I had weekly sessions for about 6 weeks with the aid of electronic device. Helped a bit, but not cured. I did the exercises as often as I remembered, but more recently GP referred me to gynaecologist. That resulted in a variety of tests, confirming that it was stress incontinence, and another physiotherapy appointment. This physio gave me the electronic gadget to use at home. Again, there seemed to be a slight improvement but not a complete cure. I then bought the electronic pelvic stimulator and persisted with twice daily sessions for about 3 months, as well as doing the exercises in between.
I gave up after that and just use the pads! The Aldi ones are pretty good. Sometimes I think I’ve improved but then get a cold and the coughing seems to undo any progress?