Attain: A New Product for Incontinence

 

A post from the makers of Attain: 

Incontinence is one of those subjects that not a lot of people talk about, but a whole lot of women experience. As a matter of fact, approximately 60 million women in the U.S. suffer with stress, urge, mixed urinary incontinence and/or bowel incontinence, and suffer in silence and embarrassment. Accidental leaking can begin after childbirth, when laughing, coughing, sneezing or running, and worsen with the natural aging process. Simply stated, the problem is pelvic floor weakness.

Many doctors tell us to do Kegels exercises to strengthen weak pelvic floor muscles, but studies show that few women do them correctly or consistently. And, there are no end to TV ads touting diapers and pads and over-the-counter vaginal cones and balls that claim to cure incontinence, but there are no scientific studies to show that these products work despite enthusiastic testimonials on the product websites.

Attain is the only FDA cleared over-the-counter medical device to treat both leaky bladders and bowels. Attain utilizes muscle stimulation, a guided exercise program, and visual biofeedback, so you know if you are doing the exercises correctly. It’s like having a personal pelvic floor physical therapist right in the privacy of your own home.

Attain is a small, painless, easy-to- use medical device that elicits a deep muscle contraction at specific frequencies and reacts to your bodies natural bio feedback to give you a customized work out as a first-line treatment, before considering surgery or medication.

Muscle stimulation increases pelvic floor muscle strength, calms the detrusor muscle, and elicits a full, deep muscle contraction, providing neuromuscular re-training. The lighted biofeedback graph and visual cues guide you through a series of variable timed, volitional contractions along with a relaxation phase, much like a physical therapy session.

A customizable probe inflates to be “comfortably snug,” placing the stimulation in full contact with the vaginal or rectal wall, ensuring a deep muscle contraction with a comfortable, effective stimulation delivery. A probe provides active resistance for a full muscle contraction, repositioning musculature into a resting position between contractions.

So, stop laughing with your legs crossed or wearing diapers or pads or even black leggings to hide your damp underwear. Together let’s put an end to the normalization of incontinence so, you can resume normal activities like walking, running, and belly laughing again.

Yoga for Your Pelvic Floor

This post was written for us by Logan Biggs of Home Care Delivered. Take it away, Logan, and thank you!

Defeating Your Bladder Leakage: Tips for Reducing Accidents

Losing control of your bladder can feel like you’ve also lost control of your life. Instead of you calling the shots, it’s now your bladder in charge, telling you what you can do, when you can do it, and where you can go.

Nobody’s day should be dictated by bladder leakage, especially when there are so many ways to keep it under control. A little understanding of what’s going on, and how you can manage it manage it, can go a long way.

Bladder Leakage – Why It Happens

Bladder leakage is not a disease, but a sign of another medical condition. Many things can cause it: Pregnancy, lower estrogen, and even gynecological surgeries like hysterectomies. Another culprit is the weakening of the sphincter muscle. The sphincter muscle is what keep the bladder closed. As we age, that muscle loses some of its strength, making it harder to hold urine, allowing leaks.

Almost half of women over 50 experience this kind of leakage.

How To Deal With It:

Strengthening the sphincter muscle can help reduce bladder leakage. The stronger it is, the lower the chance there will be an accident. There are a couple ways you can do it:

Yoga

Studies have shown that certain Yoga poses can help reduce bladder leakage. Here’s a few you can easily do at home:

Utkatasana – Chair Pose

Start with your feet parallel to the hips. Slowly bend your knees and lower into a squat. Ideally, the thighs should be parallel to the floor. Extend your arms so they align with the head and upper torso.

 

Viparita Karani Variation – Legs Up the Wall Pose

Lie on your back and place your hands behind your hips. Slowly lift your legs until they are straight and perpendicular to the floor. Arch your back and tuck the chin slightly towards the chest.

 

Salamba Set Bandhasana – Supported Bridge Pose

Lie on your back and clasp your hands together under your hips. Lift your hips off the floor until your upper and lower torso are flat. Keep your feet flat and arch your back.

Kegels & Pelvic Exercises

Kegels and other pelvic exercises can also help strengthen the sphincter and reduce bladder leakage. When doing Kegels for incontinence, there are a few things to keep in mind:

1. Find the right muscles – Make sure you’re working the muscle group that’s connected to your bladder. To find it, begin urinating and then try to hold it. The muscle group that contracts is the one you want to target.
2. Do enough repetitions – You’ll need to do at least 60 reps per day in order for the Kegels to have a lasting effect on bladder leakage.
3. Don’t overdo it – Like all exercise, working the pelvic muscles too hard can cause damage and could weaken the muscles further. Make sure you rest your body and give yourself time to recover.

For more information about Kegel exercises, visit this guide.

Incontinence Products

Yoga and Kegels will only reduce bladder leakage if the it’s being caused by weak muscle strength. For other kinds of incontinence, the best solution may be an absorbent product.

Some women default to using feminine products because that is what they are familiar with, and worry that an incontinence product will add bulk or be uncomfortable. Today’s incontinence products are very thin, discreet, and easy to manage while on the go. The real trick is choosing the right one for you. Here are some tips to help you out:

1. Pick the right product – There are three basic types of incontinence products: bladder control pads, pull-on underwear, and adult briefs. Each one is made to handle a different level of leakage, so make sure the product you choose can handle your needs.
2. Make sure it fits – Incontinence products only work as well as they fit. Generally, they should be snug against the skin and cover enough area to prevent urine from escaping.

Note: Medicaid and a few private insurance plans will cover the cost of incontinence supplies. If you have Medicaid, check out this Medicaid guide to incontinence supplies to see what’s available in your state.

New Help for Pelvic Floor Weakness After Menopause

A post with good news from PeriCoach:

At-home pelvic floor muscle exercises just got easier! PeriCoach, the “Kegel” trainer, is now available directly to women without a prescription.

As many of us know, bladder leaking is common beginning perimenopause, but it’s not normal.  Strengthening the pelvic floor is recommended as a first-line treatment. Tightening the pelvic floor also helps with sexual function.

The good news about PeriCoach is that it has been studied and clinically evaluated by women’s health physical therapists, urogynecologists, OBGYNs, and urogynecological nurses, with data and case reports published in peer-reviewed journals

“As a physical therapist, I feel confident recommending to my patients and using myself, vaginal devices that were developed and evaluated first as medical products,” says Heather Jeffcoat, DPT, founder of Fusion Wellness & Physical Therapy. “PeriCoach has a well-established profile as an easy-to-use, effective, and affordable home pelvic floor trainer.”

Listen to a testimony by a PeriCoach user:

The PeriCoach app now comes with a new feature for tracking improvement.

More great news! PeriCoach has just been approved by the FDA for its benefits in improving sexual function. Here’s part of the press release:

“Studies have found that that sexual complaints, from low libido to problems with sexual arousal to inability to achieve orgasm, are common among women with pelvic floor disorders.

‘Unfortunately, many women feel that decreased sexual function is an inevitable part of aging,’ said Leslie Rickey, MPH, MD, Associate Professor of Urology and of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences; Fellowship Director, Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery, Yale School of Medicine. ‘But women should know there are self-help strategies, and now home pelvic floor training support with PeriCoach can help improve pelvic floor muscle strength and sexual function at ANY age.'”

Find out more here at www.pericoach.com.  For a limited time, the company is offering $50 off the price of the PeriCoach when purchased over the counter.

PeriCoach USA on Twitter.

PeriCoach USA on Facebook

Both Facebook and Twitter link to some excellent articles on the pelvic floor and its challenges.

Kegeling! And a T-shirt Giveaway (The Ultimate Girlfriend Birthday Gift)

The folks at Cystex made this catchy video to remind us all to kegel!

The Mayo Clinic explains the science and technique of kegeling:

Kegel exercises strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, which support the uterus, bladder, small intestine and rectum. You can do Kegel exercises, also known as pelvic floor muscle training, discreetly just about anytime.

Read more about kegels and their importance on the Mayo Clinic report here.

So come on everyone, get with the program: squeeze and hold!

Squeezing helps the sneezing!  (And lots of others stuff too.)

GIVEAWAY:  Spice up your fall wardrobe!  You can win an I’m Kegeling. Are you? t-shirt.  For a chance to win, simply enter a comment by October 30 saying you’d like to be the winner.

Don’t want to sport a kegel t-shirt yourself?  This makes a GREAT gift for a girlfriend birthday party!  LOL!