It is possible that during pregnancy you suffered what is known as stress incontinence or, in other words, slight urine loss during the third trimester due to sneezing or overexertion. However, far from being ashamed or treating it as taboo, today, together with experts, we explain how to combat this problem that affects so many mothers.
Pregnancy is a rollercoaster of emotions, we know. Future mothers face major physical and hormonal changes, leading to a completely new experience for all of them. It is normal for doubts to arise. There are mothers who wonder what diet to eat. Others about what exercises they can develop. There are even those who begin to discover themselves, to discover more about their own pregnancy and everything that contributes to it.
An example is the discovery of one of the most important muscle groups to prevent incontinence in women and which, in contrast, is largely unknown to many of them: the pelvic floor. According to the 1st Study on pelvic floor care in Spain, developed by INTIMINA, a company specializing in female intimate health, “59% of those surveyed have never been informed about the importance of the pelvic floor by their gynecologist or healthcare personnel, while 32% of women had never even heard of it.”
If you haven't heard of it either, you should know that it is a vital muscle for our urinary system that, beyond this support function, is involved in a wide range of actions in our body. “ The pelvic floor is involved in our urogynecological health, guaranteeing several very important functions that are so integrated into our lives that we are not aware of them on a daily basis… until problems arise. These functions are urinary and fecal continence, support of the pelvic organs, postural function, sexual function, and reproductive function in the expulsive phase during childbirth,” explains Laura Rojas, a physiotherapist specializing in the pelvic floor.
Pelvic floor: responsible for your urinary health
In other words: the pelvic floor is the number one responsible for controlling our retention system and it is vital that it is in good condition for its maintenance. In fact, during pregnancy, this becomes a vital point, since, although it is true that it is naturally weakened by the pressure exerted by the uterus during pregnancy, a previously weakened pelvic floor can lead to a more serious condition.
“The increase in the weight of the uterus, hormonal changes, and the change in the center of gravity in turn causes changes in posture and in the pressures we send to the pelvic floor. This is combined with the fact that most women are unaware of their pelvic floor until pregnancy arrives and we have the perfect cocktail to make any small pelvic floor problem come to an end,” adds María Pérez, physiotherapist expert in pelvic floor, women's health and therapeutic exercise, creator of La Pelvis Revolution and collaborator of INTIMINA.
What's the score? A considerable weakening of our pelvic floor leads, in the mildest cases, to urinary incontinence that affects pregnant women and mothers. As Anael Sanmartín, a physiotherapist specializing in the pelvic floor, explains, “Pregnancy affects our pelvic floor at several levels.
On the one hand, as our uterus and baby grow, the greater the weight on the pelvic floor (it is possible that there may be urinary incontinence due to the simple pressure on the bladder). On the other hand, at the hormonal level, our tissues become more elastic due to the increase in relaxin.”
In fact, according to the INTIMINA study on pelvic floor health, it is estimated that “31% of the women surveyed suffer from stress incontinence, which means they leak urine when laughing, coughing, sneezing or lifting something heavy. ” But what most ignore is that it is a pelvic floor dysfunction that can be reversible and that age is not the only factor that can affect it.
Kegel exercises, the solution for future mothers
Many people believe that having small pee leaks is normal: “It's just a few droplets,” “I just had a very full bladder and I sneezed,” etc. But, although it is common (it is estimated that 1 in 3 women will suffer from urinary incontinence throughout their lives ), "it is not a situation to which we should resign ourselves, since in most cases urine loss “They improve or resolve completely with appropriate exercises and devices.” explains Laura Rojas, a physiotherapist specialized in the pelvic floor.
During pregnancy and postpartum there are many opportunities to strengthen and improve the condition of our pelvic floor and, consequently, to improve this retention system that causes us to suffer from “stress incontinence.” In fact, there are many ways to train our pelvic floor during and after pregnancy: with breathing, balance, dancing, pelvic movement, etc.
“One of the ways we know best and that specifically works on pelvic floor strength and body awareness are Kegel exercises. These are contractions of this muscle that you can recognize with the gesture of squeezing or closing the vagina or anus. You can make a more powerful contraction if, in addition to closing, you think about pulling your vagina up.” comments physiotherapist María Pérez.
Plus, the good news is that you can be even better than before your pregnancy. The problem is that many women do not begin to pay attention to the pelvic floor until they are pregnant and it is possible that it was not at 100% before. “Therefore, if you start working with quality, personalized exercises for your perineum, you can make it even better than before,” adds Perez.
The most important thing is, about 6 weeks after giving birth, go to your trusted physio who specializes in pelvic floor and will give you personalized guidelines and exercises for you. You can also incorporate exercise focused on training the pelvic floor, abdomen, and body in general to be able to face your daily activities in the best possible way.
“In addition, once you have passed the quarantine period, at home you can continue working on the pelvic floor with Kegel exercisers such as the INTIMINA KegelSmart 2 smart device,” says María Pérez, physiotherapist expert in pelvic floor, women's health, and therapeutic exercise.
Strengthen your pelvic floor with KegelSmart 2
To give more visibility to this problem, INTIMINA launched the new KegelSmart 2, a rechargeable device to strengthen the pelvic floor and designed to adapt perfectly to the female anatomy.
Encased in 100% body-safe medical-grade silicone, this kegel exerciser uses unique touch sensor technology to record pelvic floor strength and then automatically sets an exercise level that suits your needs.
Through gentle vibrations, this exerciser guides women through a complete Kegel routine. All you have to do is contract when it vibrates and rest when it stops, plus each complete and effective routine lasts less than 5 minutes. In fact, there are multiple benefits that this product offers.
Exercising with KegelSmart 2 has been shown to help women prepare for a healthy pregnancy, restore vaginal tension after childbirth, increase sensations during intimacy, and improve health, as well as reduce symptoms of stress incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, vaginal dryness, and sexual dysfunction.
Put it Strong, INTIMINA's initiative to raise awareness about urine loss
However, the new INTIMINA KegelSmart 2 smart exerciser is not the only action that the company promotes to raise awareness among women of all ages. Along with this device, INTIMINA launched the “Put it Strong” campaign which aims to encourage all women to start an exercise routine to strengthen this area and make it visible that this problem has a solution.
Through a new Concha Velasco, a real neighbor of Collado Villalba, who does not suffer urine leaks and does train her pelvic floor with the help of the intelligent KegelSmart 2 exerciser, the women's firm wants to encourage all women to get started in this field, making visible solutions to problems as common as urine loss.
“Currently, there is more and more dissemination around the pelvic floor, demonstrating that by exercising this area, women do not have to suffer from this dysfunction. However, it is still a fairly unknown topic. That is why the spot appeals to all types of women (mothers, pregnant or in their thirties), encouraging them to work hard to prevent urinary incontinence, regardless of age.” they sentence from INTIMINA.
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