Ladies! We can be honest! Weak Pelvic Floor?

glovepuppet

my youngest was just shy of 11 pounds. natural labour.
i've been incredibly lucky to have no issues.

however...



i love my vaj zapper! ok so i love it because i'm a pervert (mine is always set to ultra high, super zap mode), but it does fantastic job of keeping me toned.

i can fall asleep with it in and it tones while i snore.

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, zappy!

Hanfordrose

I think sometimes it happens as you age as well. I did have a child when I was very young, but did not have this problem until I hit my 40's. It's not horrible, but yes a hard sneeze, a coughing fit or a good old fashioned sit-up would cause problems for me. Losing weight and exercising has helped. Do your Kegels and in the mean time, wear a panty liner when exercising.

Finally, someone said the obvious.

As you get old...and for other reasons related to pregnancy and weight, women get 'stress incontinence'. That means that we find it impossible to avoid 'peeing in our panties', if we sneeze, cough, laugh or even bend over. It doesn't get better with age; it gets a lot worse.

I thought that I would never have to buy a women's sanitary pad again, when I had a complete hysterectomy in my mid-30's. Now, I am 68 and wearing a pad EVERY DAY. It helps to stop small accidental episodes. I am not ready to go for the adult diapers quite yet. :laugh:

glovepuppet

it's not inevitable. i know women in their high 90's that don't need a pad.
...and women in their 60's who do.

spicy618

my youngest was just shy of 11 pounds. natural labour.
i've been incredibly lucky to have no issues.

however...



i love my vaj zapper! ok so i love it because i'm a pervert (mine is always set to ultra high, super zap mode), but it does fantastic job of keeping me toned.

i can fall asleep with it in and it tones while i snore.

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, zappy!

Wow. Interesting.

BajaDreamin333

Pilates will tighten things right up. Breathing and kegals work together with resistance. Try a class with a knowledgable instructor and a studio with reformers. Awesome workout for your body and sexual health.

weese17

KETTLEBELL SWINGS. Seriously. Those things tightened my pelvic area right up after vaginally delivering a 10 pounder!!

2stepscloser

Get some kegel weights... they are affordable... like 30$ on Amazon.... And they work great

I second this ^^^^

wrentrotter

I used to have this problem, but since I lost weight and started swimming it has gone away entirely. Not sure if it's the weight or the swimming, or maybe a combination of both, but I no longer have the problem at all.

ldrosophila

Hello ladies,
Let's be honest and throw around ideas. I'm going CRAZY because when I'm doing jumping jacks during the 30 day shred, when I'm dancing in hip hop class, doing zumba, trying to jog... you name it... I'm running into the same problem. Because I was so overweight before, the pelvic floor muscles are really weak, and when I'm bouncing around like that, no amount of trying to empty the bladder before working out keeps me from having a little problem. It's embarrassing and it keeps me from being able to go all out and get deep into the exercises because I want to avoid it.
I'm doing pelvic floor exercises to strengthen the muscles, and i have to admit, working out in general seems to help. I have the problem a lot less often than before. When I was at my heaviest, coughing or laughing would produce the same effect. Now it's just jumping around.
Thoughts? Advice? Does this happen to others or just to me? How can I speed up the process of strengthening the muscles? Has this happenned to anyone else who has NOT had kids? I feel like if this is happening to me I should have a beautiful baby to show for it.

I've not had kids I'm in the same boat no beautiful baby to show for it and mad as hell. LOL anyways! I had a GP tell me besides kegels putting yourself onto an actual bladder schedule helps also. It works for me. I set a phone alarm for 45 minutes and ever 45 minutes I go potty. It can be a pain, but it has really helped with the accidents. Then after you come back form the potty do a few kegels and resume what you were doing.

Momma1213

Jumping jacks and jogging are my nemesis for sure. Like others have said, potty before training, and then try a full strength pad. A few others that I have talked to about this suggested surgery and I had zero clue there was such a thing as PT for this beyond Kegels. Learn something new every day.
Good luck!

laserturkey

I talked with my PT about this thread today-- I've "graduated" from therapy and am now going on maintenance! She said she didn't see how squats would be better than Kegels. The danger with squats (especially weighted ones) is that people push down through the pelvic floor and put stress on it if their form isn't right. The training I had with her has been tremendously valuable to me, and I believe I am well-equipped to modify exercises in the cases where that's needed from here on out. I know how to engage the pelvic floor properly when working on core strength exercises, and I know which exercises I would do best to avoid entirely. Having to worry about peeing your pants when you have a coughing fit or wondering if you can sit through a long movie at the cinema is NOT necessarily an inevitable part of women's aging. If you are a woman, read up on pelvic organ prolapse NOW and do what you can to preserve your strength/health.

sherrillg

I am there too. Had an appointment with the URO/GYNO last week and scheduled surgery today. I'm a runner and this is driving me insane. I'd urge you to have it evaluated. There are measures that can be taken non surgically too. But more importantly, there are other issues that could play into it so you should have it checked at the least. :-) I wish you well!

Claire8614

Was not brave enough to post this myself, so thought i would comment on this instead.

Ive lost a bit of weight but i am still over weight by my stress incontinence is not improving.. Do you think weight could still be the problem or its best to go to the doctors or buy a stress incontinence machine etc

I am only 27 do not have any children so the weight is mainly the problem i would imagine, do sure why its so weak..

iamladygusta

I have the opposite problem... my pelvic floor spasms/tightens up causing horrendous pain.
Regardless... I would talk with a urologist to rule out any other possible causes and then ask to be referred to a Pelvic Floor Therapist.

turtlebeth

I've had 4 9-10 lb babies via home birth, weighing 302 on the birth of #4. This is a problem I have dealt with since then, 18 years ago. I am finding that the leaking is lessening as I get more exercise and tone up. Hoping it improves as I reduce size. I do the kegels too, ans it also seems to help.

ajlala1221

I bought the Luna Beads on Amazon for $30 and they're awesome. I don't have to "remember" to do my kegels, I just pop these in after I wake up and go about my business. The more you move with these inserted, the more of a workout your PC muscles get trying to keep those suckers inside you. I wear mine when I go grocery shopping, at the gym, or doing housework. I wasn't completely incontinent before I started using them, but I have (on quite a few occasions) tinkled myself on the way to the bathroom because I couldn't get there in time. I noticed an improvement within 4 days of using the weights. My husband is currently deployed so I can't attest to the other...uh...benefits that come from using the weights but I'm sure there's going to be an improvement there too ;-)

kristanvdub

As a previous poster said, talk to your doctor about seeing a physical therapist, some of the exercises they'll probably give you will include weighted squats, monster walks, and working on balance with a bosu ball. Added benefit of this is really tones up your butt lol