I
don't think I’ll be able to run without wetting myself
If you
think that you won’t be able to run without wetting yourself then you’re in
good company.
Bladder incontinence
is still unfortunately a taboo subject and there is a great deal of
ignorance surrounding it
A number
of our beginners, who have now gone on to become regular club runners, were
also dubious about whether they'd be able to cope.
A weak bladder can
occur for a number of reasons, including pregnancy, childbirth, obesity,
constipation, nerve damage, menopause or even smoker’s cough. People who
suffer bladder weakness may avoid taking exercise, walking, travelling and
even sex but weakness of the pelvic floor muscles is often the underlying
problem
Many women
have problems with stress incontinence (leakage of urine when coughing,
sneezing, jumping running etc) as this can unfortunately be a consequence of
childbirth and menopause. Stress incontinence occurs because the pelvic
floor muscles at the neck of the bladder are not strong enough to hold the
urine in when the pressure in the abdomen is increased.
Start or
keep do
ing
pelvic floor exercises, (see
www.embarassingproblems.com for a good description of how to do
them-search under urinary incontinence) but if you're impatient to start
running, it is still possible.
Running
does actually strengthen pelvic floor muscles, but if you start with a
problem of stress incontinence, crossed fingers may not be enough. It's
difficult to run with crossed legs or a clenched pelvic floor (believe me
it's been tried (the clenched pelvic floor anyway!) and you will find
it easier to concentrate on developing and enjoying your running if you have
the reassurance of using some pads as protection.
If you
wear loose clothing (and many club members do out of choice) no-one will
know as there are suitable and discreet products on the market. The TENA
range of pads are good and being purposely designed are much better than
sanitary products which are less absorbent for the same bulk. Tena have a
website www.tena.co.uk
which is helpful in identifying which product might be most suitable and
you can send off for free samples.
Along with incontinence pads,
(Tena Lady; Poise; Boots own brand and Sainsbury’s own brand),
Bodyform are currently selling (99p in savers) a 2in1 pantiliner/towel. The
Bodyform product is slightly thicker than a pantliner, but holds the same
amount as a towel. Although not specifically designed for stress
incontinence a number of consumers do purchase these less bulky products for
this purpose. They are less bulky than Tena lady and so offer protection
with freedom of movement.
Tampon manufacturers in their leaflets do
not recommend the use of tampons when women are not menstruating, (this
is mainly targeted at controlling vaginal discharge and use over extended
periods of time), however there are a large number of gynaecologists
who do advocate the use of tampons as a method of controlling stress
incontinence, when women are exercising. The tampon works by putting
pressure on the urethra, compressing it and preventing urine from leaking
out. Several gynaecologists in the UK, who use this method to help their
“leaky ladies” but if you have either a
urinary tract or vaginal infection it is not advised.
When inserting the tampon they
recommend that ladies use KY-Jelly on the nose of the tampon, this helps the
dry fibres from sticking to the vaginal walls which may cause soreness. It
will also help with tampon removal. The tampon should be inserted just
before exercising and removed as soon after as
possible. They advise that it is
“safe” to use tampons in this way, if they are worn only for a few hours. Many
women prefer tampons over towels/pads as a more discreet way of controlling
stress incontinence when exercising.
There are lubricated tampons on the market,
available in Boots, Superdrug and other retailers; these are called Lil-lets
Extra Comfort. The tampons are individually wrapped with their own
specially formulated gel
Running has driven at least one of
us to accept the inevitable and go to the GP to get referred for a more
permanent medical solution to the problem, however whilst she's been waiting
for an assessment at least she can still run
