Helping Young Women Prevent Incontinence

[incon1982]

As I read yet another article about helping young women after a pregnancy to strengthen their pelvic floor muscles (romper.com/p/do-kegel-exerc... I thought about how it is important to teach young women to do Kegel exercises BEFORE they get pregnant, not just afterward! I was lucky enough to start learning them before my first pregnancy, and as result did not have problems during and after that first pregnancy. Yes, by the time I hit my third pregnancy and the third trimester, sneezes could mean a light leak. And now that I am much older, those sneezes can still be a problem if I don't keep up my exercises, and also empty that bladder when I get the message to do so!

I think prevention is something that we just are not doing enough about. Of course, it's not always possible to prevent urinary incontinence, but things like keeping our weight to a healthy amount, not smoking, and men and women both keeping their pelvic floor muscles strong throughout their lives, could help prevent some cases. I would surely like to see more work and effort being done to help folks prevent UI as much as possible. I think it is really a neglected health area in the US. Anyone have any thoughts on prevention and what might be done in this regard?

[lluvia]

I think you are absolutely right, it's important that parents and health care professionals speak and teach about these techniques and exercises with daughters and/or patients.

I remember my mother teaching me at a young age and always keep them in mind. It was more like a casual conversation on how to do the exercises to keep a good health.