Help & Advice
- More Effective Pelvic Floor Exercises Condition Guide
- Bladder Weakness & Stress Incontinence Condition Guide
- Uncontrollable Gas/Wind & Lack of Bowel Control Condition Guide
- Perimenopause, Menopause & Post Menopause Condition Guide
- Pelvic Organ Prolapse Condition Guide
- Postpartum Recovery Condition Guide
- Vaginal...
- More Effective Pelvic Floor Exercises Condition Guide
- Bladder Weakness & Stress Incontinence Condition Guide
- Uncontrollable Gas/Wind & Lack of Bowel Control Condition Guide
- Perimenopause, Menopause & Post Menopause Condition Guide
- Pelvic Organ Prolapse Condition Guide
- Postpartum Recovery Condition Guide
- Vaginal...
So, congratulations are in order! Well that’s the hard part out of the way, right? Physically maybe, but you have an exciting, yet extremely challenging journey ahead of you. You’re unlikely to have more than a moment to yourself for around the next twenty years, so when it comes to your pelvic floor, it’s doubtful that you will have given it a second thought. However, exercising the pelvic floor takes a matter of minutes a day, and when we consider how debilitating pelvic floor dysfunction after childbirth can be; it is certainly worth dedicating a tiny portion of your day to it.
The pelvic floor is made up of muscles, ligaments and fibres, which stretch like a tight sling from the pubic bone to the coccyx (tailbone). These muscles naturally expand during pregnancy to accommodate your growing baby. Similarly, they are stretched during labour itself as your baby makes its way through the birthing canal. The pelvic floor can be overstretched...
Painful Intercourse (Dyspareunia)
Dyspareunia is the medical name given to painful intercourse or pain during sex. This is a really common problem, affecting nearly 10% of females at some point in their life. There is usually a simple solution.
Causes of Painful Intercourse
There’s quite a few different things that can cause painful intercourse, and these include:
- Lack of lubrication
- Positioning
- Dyspareunia (pain in the vagina, clitoris or labia during or after sex)
- Vaginismus (where your vaginal muscles clench involuntarily)
- Infection such as thrush
- Vulvodynia (where your whole intimate area is painful)
- Endometriosis (where the womb lining cells grow outside the womb)
- Fibroids (benign tumours that grow...
Endometriosis is a common condition that affects as many as 2 million women in the UK, and it can causes pelvic pain, irregular bleeding, heavy periods, depression, fertility problems and more.
What is Endometriosis?
Endometriosis is a condition where the cells that normally line the womb grow outside of the womb, on other pelvic organs such as the ovaries and fallopian tubes. Because they are the same types of cells as those inside your womb, they grow every month and bleed during your period.
Because these cells are on the ovaries, fallopian tubes...
There are a great number of conditions that can lead to pelvic pain, whether acute or chronic. If you are suffering from pelvic pain, it's important to see a doctor so that you can discover the underlying cause.
Adenomyosis
Adenomyosis is a condition where endometrial tissue (the tissue that normally lines the uterus) grows into the wall of the uterus. This is different from endometrosis, because the tissue does not grow outside the uterus, rather inside.
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Adenomyosis normally affects women after childbearing...
Pelvic pain is a common problem that affects a high percentage of women at some point in their lives. Whether caused by tight pelvic muscles, vulvodynia, vaginismus, endometriosis or something else, if you are suffering from pelvic pain you shouldn't suffer in silence.
Kegel8 Has The Solution
- Medically approved electronic pelvic toners
- Feature clinically-approved pain relief programmes
- Can help to relax tight pelvic muscles
- Ideal if you have to undergo pelvic surgery
- Treat pelvic pain, incontinence, prolapse & more
Why Do I Suffer Pelvic Pain?
Pelvic pain is something that can affect women of all ages, and can be caused by a whole range of different things, including infection, tight muscles and medical conditions such as endometriosis and vulvodynia.
Pelvic pain often has a simple cause that can be easily treated, so if you're suffering pain in the pelvic area, you...
Well, there’s no sugar-coating it, labour hurts! This you have no control over. However, how you choose to minimise and cope with this pain is something that remains firmly within your grasp. As a mother, you will always want what’s best for your child, to protect them in any way you can. This begins before you even set eyes on your newborn baby. There is now a tiny little life that depends upon you for everything, even the oxygen and food essential for their survival. So it is understandable why many mums-to-be opt for a natural/drug-free form of pain relief during labour.
You will have almost certainly heard the term ‘epidural’ before. The idea of having an epidural has most soon-to-be mums running for the hills. Similarly the idea of being...
We know that child birth is a miraculous affair, but there’s no denying it, it’s not all smiles! You may be ‘glowing’, but sometimes that will just be because you’re hot, sweaty, and generally irritable. It should therefore come as no surprise that during pregnancy, and indeed childbirth, the body will be put under immense strain in order to accommodate that beautiful little life growing inside you. So how do you prepare your body for what it is about to endure?
If you’ve decided that you’re ready to try for a baby, it’s never too soon to start preparing. You will find a myriad of information all over the web, offering pregnancy advice and tips for preconception. The majority of which follows the same principle; eat healthily, exercise, take vitamins, and stop drinking/smoking. This is excellent counsel which will undoubtedly make conception easier and provide a healthier environment for your baby over the next nine months. But, what about...
After your pregnancy and childbirth, you may be thinking you need a nap, followed by an intense workout to shift the baby weight. Don't fall into this trap! Your body needs time to recover before you begin intensive exercise, and your pelvic floor is vulnerable to lasting damage if you leave it for too long. Click here to learn more about safe postnatal exercise.
It's essential that you exercise your pelvic floor muscles after the birth of your child. Not only does this aid the recovery process, but also helps to prevent and treat the development of pelvic floor disorders. Up to 61% of women will develop urinary incontinence during their pregnancy, and a shocking 45% will still have urinary incontinence 7 years post-natally.
Learn more about the importance of a strong...
Many mum-to-be's understandably opt for a natural, drug-free form of pain relief during labour, as the thought of being injected with a series of drugs can be quite off-putting. Drugs, especially epidurals, can sometimes result in a prolonged second stage of labour, and increase the risk of having an instrumental delivery (with forceps or ventouse). Other drugs can also make it difficult to push, and if they are administered too close to birth, they can affect the baby's breathing.
Even if you choose to use medical pain relief, unforeseen circumstances may make it not possible, so it's best to have an alternative and know what...
During pregnancy and childbirth, the pelvic floor muscles weaken as they adapt for the growth of your baby. They can become over-strained and damaged further during childbirth, leading to pelvic floor disorders such as incontinence and pelvic organ prolapses developing.
Even if you had a C-section, or an uneventful vaginal childbirth, your pelvic floor will suffer. However, you may find it more comfortable doing your manual Kegels and your nerves may be unaffected.
Stress Incontinence After Childbirth
Stress incontinence is common amongst mothers, with 45% still suffering from urinary incontinence 7 years after giving birth. Regardless of its prevalence, it will always be embarrassing when you are unable to prevent urine leaks when you cough, sneeze, laugh, or lift objects. The good news is that it is easily reversible.
Ensure you perform...