1 in 3 women has bowel bladder or sexual issues after delivery 1 in 3 new moms report bowel and bladder issues after giving birth, and about half of all new moms have pelvic pain in the months after they’ve delivered. These problems don’t just go away on their own, and many women just suffer in silence, assuming this is “the new normal.” It doesn't have to be. Your body can heal... [...]
Today's Word of the day Wednesday is... DYSPAREUNIA. No, it's not some type of exotic flower. It means painful sexual intercourse. It can happen to anyone, though women are disproportionally affected (8-21% in a 2006 global study - but keep in mind self-report is notoriously poor for these sorts of personal conditions). And there are *SO MANY* reasons why sex can be painful. Once things like infection or malignancies are ruled out or addressed, [...]
A study in a European ob-gyn journal: it found women who get EARLY postpartum physical therapy (as soon as the first month after delivery) when they sustained 3rd or 4th degree tears (into their anal sphincter regions) recover better and faster in resolving incontinence (which includes unexpectedly passing gas!) than those who wait until after the six week follow up to start. SO DON’T WAIT. Don’t let your MD dismiss your pain or your concerns. [...]
Did you know that tight pelvic floor muscles can mimic the symptoms of a UTI? That frequent and urgent need to pee, that stinging discomfort -- sound familiar? When we're in pain "down there," it's not uncommon for muscles to tighten up reflexively. But you need a culture (test for bacteria) to show that you actually have an infection -- otherwise, you're just taking antibiotics unnecessarily. And antibiotics can upset the vaginal environment, so [...]
Today’s word is MITTELSCHMERZ. It’s said exactly how it looks, and no, it’s not some weird cousin of German bratwurst. It actually means “middle pain” in German, and it’s that lower abdominal pain some of you ladies get when you’re ovulating (in that *middle* time between cycles, get it?). For some women, there may be a small amount of bleeding or discharge, a sharp discomfort, and even nausea if it’s particularly uncomfortable. Mostly, though, [...]