Although incontinence occurs at any age, older people and women suffer from it more often. And even famous models are not spared. Last month, the famous American top model Ashley Graham revealed that she suffers from incontinence, or involuntary loss of urine, following the birth of her son Isaac Menelik Giovanni Ervin. In a special post on Instagram, she openly talked about the problems she faced during and after pregnancy. She confessed that disposable underwear had become her favorite item of clothing.
According to Graham, there is still too little open discussion about recovery and healing after childbirth. The model thinks it is important to share that it is not always roses and moonshine. Graham had a lot of support from a good friend, who is also CEO of Frida, an American company with products that help during parenting.
Pregnancy incontinence
Many women are still ashamed of unwanted urine loss. About a third of pregnant women suffer from it incontinence. In the last phase of pregnancy this is even 50 to 70 percent. The physical changes put extra pressure on the bladder and pelvic floor. This increases during pregnancy, because the unborn child continues to grow and exerts more pressure. This gives the bladder less space and will fill up more quickly, resulting in the woman having to urinate more regularly. It also leads to the unwanted loss of urine.
Another reason why women lose urine during pregnancy is because of the weaker muscles around the vagina and pelvic floor. Pregnancy hormones initiate this natural process, with the aim of making childbirth easy. A disadvantage is that the sphincter muscles are less able to hold the urine. Strong sneezing, coughing or laughing can also result in insufficient counter pressure from the sphincters. This may lead to the loss of droplets of urine. After giving birth, the incontinence complaints will slowly disappear. How long this takes varies per woman.
Tips to limit urine loss
Various pregnancy courses are offered that help limit urine loss. The focus is on the pelvic floor. There are different exercises which help to train the pelvic floor muscles. This is important for a speedy recovery after childbirth and also limits urine loss. The bladder sphincter can also be trained. By regularly performing the exercises for a number of months, urine loss will slowly decrease. Drinking less water is not the solution. This can lead to health problems for the expectant mother and the unborn baby. That is of course not the intention. It is advised to go to the toilet regularly to try to urinate. Even when there is no urge. This prevents unwanted urine loss. It is not wise to wait until the bladder is completely full.