Urinary incontinence after childbirth
Sometimes the joy of motherhood is marred by urinary incontinence. After giving birth, a woman suddenly notices that her urination is constantly getting out of control. Why do annoying leaks occur and what to do in such situations?
During pregnancy and childbirth, a woman's body experiences enormous stress.
The uterus increases in size many times over, and the ligaments that supported it before pregnancy are greatly stretched and after the birth of the child cannot provide adequate support to the organ.
The perineal muscles that were involved in the formation of the birth canal, the path through which the fetus passed during childbirth, are also stretched, injured, and therefore cannot immediately return to their original state.
As a result, the uterus begins «sag», descend into the vagina and move towards its exit – prolapse of the genitals, or in other words, their prolapse, occurs.
The displacement of the uterus entails the prolapse of the bladder and urethra, which leads to the development of stress urinary incontinence, which manifests itself «leaks» during laughing, coughing, sneezing and in other situations accompanied by tension in the abdominal muscles.
During labor, the bladder and urethra are compressed between the pubic bone and the fetal head passing through the pelvic ring. This injury does not go away without a trace, and initially makes itself known by disruption of the muscles responsible for holding urine in the bladder.
When do urinary retention problems occur after childbirth?
- In cases of hereditary weakness of connective tissue, such problems are most often detected long before birth.
- In the presence of vaginal and uterine prolapse before pregnancy – in this case, the problem gets worse and leads to other troubles.
- With multiple births, each subsequent birth further weakens the pelvic floor muscles and increases the risk of prolapse.
- When giving birth to a large fetus – in this case, injuries to the birth canal, bladder and urethra can be quite significant.
- After complex obstetric interventions, such as forceps delivery, fortunately they are used extremely rarely.
- For those who have never done intimate gymnastics and did not care about the condition of the pelvic floor muscles.
- For those who started almost immediately after giving birth «pump up the press» and «carry heavy things».
How to solve the problem of urinary incontinence after childbirth?
If you personally experience urinary incontinence after childbirth, don't be embarrassed about your problem; consult a doctor and get examined.
Good news! If the problem wasn't present before pregnancy, there's a good chance your body will recover on its own and you'll regain full urinary control within a few weeks, or at most, a few months, after giving birth.
- Avoid coffee and tea, which have a diuretic effect, limit your fluid intake to 2 liters per day, and to combat thirst, limit your consumption of spices, salt, and sugar.
- Don't let your bladder become full, but don't go to the toilet either «just in case».
- Train your bladder by gradually increasing the intervals between toilet visits. If suddenly «leak» Temporarily reduce the interval between urinations, analyze your diet and drinking regimen, make appropriate adjustments, and continue your exercise program.
- Train your perineal muscles daily; regular Kegel exercises will help restore pelvic floor muscle tone and have a beneficial effect on your health.
- After 8 weeks postpartum, supplement your Kegel exercises with a vaginal exerciser ColpoTrain®, This will increase the effectiveness of your training and speed up your recovery.
- Between workouts, use a pelvic pessary; it will provide temporary support for the uterus and vagina and prevent urine leakage in situations that require close monitoring. The Simurg cube pessary is the most convenient for this purpose. It is inserted during periods of peak physical activity, allowing the baby to be picked up and cared for without risk to health. The pessary is removed at night.
Use a pessary to make your workouts effective, two – three months of classes according to what we offer methodology will be enough to get back into shape after childbirth and get rid of urinary incontinence.
If you had uterine prolapse before pregnancy and your birth was accompanied by trauma, then surgical treatment may be the best option for you. Don't let annoying leaks spoil the joy of motherhood; discuss the problem with your doctor. Don't be afraid of surgery; modern urinary incontinence treatments are gentle yet highly effective.