Tag: vagina winks

5 Solutions for the Forgotten Woman

Post author By Melanie Platt
Post date October 20, 2024

5 Solutions For The Forgotten Woman

Do you just wonder sometimes how you got to the point in life where you’re at? You’ve had your children, they are growing up and don’t need you as much. And you question what’s next?

Not to mention you’d love to be active but the idea of a 6 week boot camp makes you want to curl up in a ball for fear of the cardiac arrest you would suffer.

The thought of jumping and doing burpee’s make you pee yourself just a little thinking about it, knowing how embarrassing it would feel. So what else is there?

Looking around at our society at the moment there is an influx of help available to the pregnant women, and to the new mums which is amazing and you wish it had been around for you when you were going through that. But what is there for you? Especially when you didn’t realise that bringing human beings into the world would massively change your life in unexpected ways.

Yes yes I know you love them dearly and wouldn’t have it any other way but let’s talk about you for a change. You didn’t realise that your vagina would never be the same, that you wouldn’t be into sex as much, that you would have leakage with laughing/jumping etc. Or that it would just feel overwhelming sometimes.

There is also the looming menopause and perimenopause symptoms that are just around the corner and are only starting to receive research funding and data now. How ridiculous is that. Commonly people just thought of menopause as hot flushes and just how to manage those. The medical way of determining if you’re in menopause is 12 months after you have your last period. But what if you are not having your period, with an IUD or hysterectomy. How do you know? Previously it was just associated with hot flushes. But it’s so much more. It’s mood fluctuations, it’s brain fog, it’s memory challenges, it’s anxiety, it’s musculoskeletal injuries, it’s vaginal dryness and so much more.

Perimenopause is such a hot topic at the moment and so it should be. It impact millions of women around the globe. Just when you’ve been through child rearing, you’ve entered the work force again and then you’re experiencing all sorts of symptoms that no one understands. You’re GP shopping because they all say everything is fine. Yet we know our female intuition is right, we know when something doesn’t feel right. “I don’t feel right”. “Things are off”. Follow that intuition and get the help you need.

Perimenopause is a journey and it’s one that can last for 7-10 years prior to the “medical” time of menopause. The other key thing to note here is when your mother started menopause is very significant for us as women to predict our own perimenopause and menopause journey. So the biggest thing you can do is talk to your mum or aunties if you can and find out that age and work backwards from there. If things are starting to feel a little off then follow that.

The biggest takeaway I have learned after reading up on everything is the healthier you are going into perimenopause the better off you will be when you reach menopause. So the big things to work on: no smoking, less alcohol drinking, nutrition – especially protein, exercise and supplements.

I want you to know we see you, we know you feel uncomfortable at times, we know you wish you were acknowledged by society and maybe even by your family a bit more.

But that’s not all there is for you, it’s your time now! You have time, you have money – not a slave to the baby anymore. It’s your time to shine. To feel all of yourself. To embrace change and what’s next for you. To create what is next for you the way you want it to be. You’ve got this girlfriend!

We are here for you. It’s why I set up the Pelvic Floor Perfection program. To help you gain control of your leakage, feel your core muscles again in a slow gentle way not a heart attack inducing way. To help you feel like YOU again. To embrace the new you and what better time than today to take that on board.

What’s more it’s the start of 10 minutes to yourself everyday where you get to prioritise how you feel, your muscles, your health and most importantly your future.

Where to Start?

I know it can be overwhelming so here’s just a few quick pointers to get you started on your health. When you prioritise yourself, you start to feel a bit better about yourself and walk with a pep in your step.

Drink more water. Not only does it help massively with pelvic floor health it’s also great for energy, clear skin and ageing well. Exactly! Who wouldn’t want that. Start by using a water bottle so you can measure how much you’re having each day. Fill it, drink it and repeat! Add a lemon, or a fruit tea whatever you like that isn’t caffeinated to get you to drink more.
Diaphragm breathing. Even if it’s just 5 deep slow breaths with a hold at the end of your inhale before you close your eyes at night. Start now to help your nervous system wind down. Even better you might find that it helps you have a better sleep. So the dragon lady doesn’t visit in the morning. Watch Here
Affirmations: Or write “I am enough” on your mirror with soap and read it every morning. It’s one of my favourites to just remind yourself and everyone else in your house that you are enough. Marisa Peer started this and I love it!
Nutrition: Add Protein and fibre to your diet to maintain your muscle mass. Super important as we go through the perimenopause, menopause and ageing journey.
Look into some hormonal support supplements some common ones that I have researched and recommend are: Happy Healthy You’s Happy Hormones.

Overall I absolutely advocate for finding a really good women’s health GP/Dr that can run all the test on you and see what level of hormonal support in the form of Estrogen you need.

Feeling left out, experiencing embarrassing leakage and generally just over how your body feels? We have the solution for you. Our Vagina Winks 2 week Express Course. Connecting to your pelvic floor muscles to help with that annoying leakage, working on your self image and increasing your pleasure.

Also if you’re wanting to listen to more on menopause – I have listened to some great podcasts, this Huberman Lab one has guest speaker Dr Mary Claire haver M.D an OBGYN and an expert of women’s health and menopause.

Tags hormonal support, menopause, perimenopause, pussy winks, vagina winks, women's health

Education Exercise

Can Pelvic Floor Dysfunction Be Cured?

Post author By Melanie Platt
Post date July 18, 2023

Can Pelvic Floor Dysfunction Be Cured?

It’s probably a question you have asked yourself when you’re in the depths of despair – embracing yet another leak with a cough or a sneeze. Afraid to laugh too hard because you know you’ll wet yourself or you’ve given up on running or jumping for life. The trampoline is your sworn enemy.

You’ve probably heard of this term pelvic floor dysfunction and asking what exactly does that mean? Essentially, it’s when your pelvic floor muscles aren’t working properly. They are’t doing the job they are supposed to do. It’s very common and can affect people of all ages and gender but it doesn’t have to be the “normal”.

Here are some factors that put you at a higher risk of developing pelvic floor dysfunction:

Being overweight puts additional pressure on the pelvic floor muscles, and sometimes they don’t have the strength or control to counter the effects.
Pregnancy and childbirth can weaken and stretch the pelvic floor muscles as well as the surrounding ligaments and soft tissue, leading to pelvic floor dysfunction.
Aging – As we age, like any muscles the pelvic floor muscles and surrounding soft tissue can weaken and have less elasticity, increasing the risk of dysfunction.
Constipation – Straining for a bowel movement especially chronically can weaken the pelvic floor muscles and lead to dysfunction.
Chronic coughing can put pressure on the pelvic floor muscles, leading to dysfunction.
Engaging in high-impact activities, such as running or jumping, can put additional strain on the pelvic floor muscles and increase the risk of dysfunction un less you know how to adequately activate your muscles prior to jumping or sneezing. We do have a solution for peezing to get you back to running and jumping as you wish. Get our “Ditch your Peezing Guide“.
Previous pelvic surgery: Any surgery that involves the pelvic area can cause trauma, scar tissue and can weaken the pelvic floor muscles increasing the risk of pelvic floor dysfunction.
Genetic predisposition: Some people may have a genetic predisposition to weak pelvic floor muscles, which increases the risk of dysfunction. Which is why we love a good high quality liquid marine type 1 and 3 collagen supplement like the “Collagen Elixir” Mel swears by.

One of the biggest risk facts is the increase in intra-abdominal pressure acting downwards inside your body that the pelvic floor muscles have to counter with their strength and co-ordination. This increased pressure over time is what can cause disruptions in the pelvic floor muscles connection, strength and sometimes in the muscles being able to relax as well.

So can it be cured?

Essentially Yes. Minimising your risk factors will absolutely help but also learning how to activate your pelvic floor muscles.

Learning to activate them prior to sneezing or coughing and getting them strong enough to work and support your core with exercise, yes even with jumping.

The research still suggests the first line of treatment to be a pelvic floor exercise program. One like ours here at Perfect Pelvic Floor starts with simple static exercises and diaphragm breathing to help you find your muscles with lots of cues I’m sure you’ll find one that works for you. As everyone is different.

Then progressing to movement based exercises with pelvic floor and core control. And finally through to functional exercises with your pelvic floor and core working with you as you know how to control your muscles.

Also consider a high quality liquid marine collagen that is based on type 1 and 3 collagen to help with soft tissue and muscle repair. (Read More on Collagen)

There are other options including pessary if you’re feeling the dysfunction has structural component of a prolapse which your nurse or women’s health physiotherapist can fit you for the correct pessary. (Read More on Pessaries)

Get started with our easiest and first exercise the “Vagina Winks“.

Tags peezing, pelvic floor dysfunction, pelvic floor exercises, vagina winks

Education

Pelvic Floor Weakness

Post author By Melanie Platt
Post date May 7, 2023

Pelvic Floor Weakness

What does pelvic floor weakness mean? What role does your bladder have with your pelvic floor muscles?

What are the signs of pelvic floor weakness?

Such great questions and very common ones. It’s still amazes me how little women know about their body so let’s start with your bladder….

Your bladder if under the age of 70 should store 350ml to 500ml of urine and will send a stretch message to your brain when your bladder is full.

The bladder is a muscular pump sitting behind your pubic bone and shaped a little like a water balloon. Your kidneys feed urine into your bladder and your bladder empties out via a tube called your urethra. Your urethra has a sphincter on the end of it which is a little like a clamp. The bladder muscles itself is called the detrusor muscle.

Once your brain gets the message that your bladder is full, your pelvic floor muscles and your urethral sphincter (clamp) relax, then it’s your bladder’s job as a muscle (detrusor) to pump out the urine by contracting.
Your pelvic floor then contracts and the outlet is closed (meaning no urine escapes out), allowing your bladder to relax and refill as you go about your day.

So basically your pelvic floor muscles play a very important role in your bladder mechanics.

Pelvic Floor Weakness

So what happens with pelvic floor weakness or if your pelvic floor muscles have lost some of their strength?
Your pelvic floor might not be able to contract enough to close of the urethra. Or your bladder starts getting the response that it needs to empty when it isn’t completely full. This can occur when we have “just in case” wee’s too often. This can also happen when we don’t drink enough water. When we’re dehydrated or have too much caffeine or alcohol the acidity levels in our urine become higher causing our bladder to expel urine more frequently.

Then there is the weakness associated with too much extra pressure downwards within our trunk call intra-abdominal pressure and our pelvic floor muscles can’t cope. Particularly with movements that are high intensity like jumping, coughing and sneezing etc.

Common signs your pelvic floor muscles aren’t working effectively:

Leakage
Don’t make it to the bathroom in time
Leakage with coughing, jumping, laughing, sneezing
Back pain
Frequently needing to urinate – then not much comes out
Going to the toilet more than once/night
Avoiding sexual intimacy
Avoiding exercise for fear of leakage

Essentially you want to have a strong pelvic floor to be able to contract your muscles but also know how to relax them to allow the normal bodily functions to occur. This is what I call pelvic floor control, which is what we’re all aiming for and is the goal of all our PPF programs.To allow you to build your awareness and strength in both turning on and turning off your pelvic floor muscles. Read more on the pelvic floor muscles

Effective Bladder strategies to improve your pelvic health:

Never strain to empty your bladder or push on your stomach, just relax your pelvic floor and your abdominals allowing your urine to flow out easily.
Sit on the toilet, with your feet just under you, on your toes allowing your body to learn forward slightly. This position helps with both bladder and bowel movements adjusting to the position of gravity.
Drink enough water to stay hydrated, .033 X your body weight for a rough estimate in litres/day and more if you are exercising or breastfeeding.
Caffeine can be an irritant to your bladder – minimise the amount you have per day (that includes caffeinated tea)
Alcohol is a diuretic, a bladder irritant and a muscle relaxant which will make frequency or urgency issues worse. Reduce or avoid if possible.
Stop doing the “just in case visits” to the bathroom, only go when you get the sensation your bladder is full.
Only encourage your daughters to urinate when they need to.

Starting to think your pelvic floor muscles need some help? Take our free Vagina Winks Test to see if they are for you.

Allowing you to prevent embarrassing leakage, connect to your pelvic floor & say hello to intense orgasms.

References
Womens Waterworks by Dr Pauline Chiarelli
Pelvic Floor Essentials by Sue Croft

Tags bladder health, pelvic floor weakness, vagina winks

Education Post Natal

Avoid These Common Pelvic Floor Mistakes

Post author By Melanie Platt
Post date November 22, 2021

Avoid These Common Pelvic Floor mistakes

I’m sure we’ve all done them at some point to try and get these elusive pelvic floor muscles working but stop right now! These mistakes are preventing you from feeling strong and getting back to the exercise you want to. They are preventing you from stopping your leakage and they are preventing you from having amazing sexual pleasure. Read on to see what you can do instead.

When you are doing your pelvic floor exercises try to avoid theses common mistakes below.

3 most common mistakes:

Tilting your pelvis – now we know this can be great for pelvis mobility and good for sexual pleasure but it does not help with your pelvic floor muscle activation while exercising! You want to find a neutral position with your spine and pelvis. So when you’re lying on your back, make sure your tailbone firmly rests on the ground without moving while you do your exercises.
Squeezing your butt cheeks together like there is a $100 note you don’t want to let go of – This is working your outside buttock muscle (your gluteus maximus) not your pelvic floor muscles. Yes your pelvic floor muscles go from your pubic bone at the front all the way to your tailbone at the back including around your anus but squeezing your butt cheeks is not going to get them working. Instead relax your buttock and focus around your vaginal area to connect with your pelvic floor when exercising.
Clenching your outer abdominals – this is probably the most common mistake I see in the clinic. We’re so used to our rectus abdominis (6 pack abs) working that we forget there are deeper layers of muscles underneath. It’s also very hard to take a deep relaxed breath with these muscles working (hint hint – if you’re struggling to breathe at the same time as pelvic floor exercises this is probably why) Put one hand under your rib cage and the other deep down towards your pubic bone. The hand under your rib cage shouldn’t feel anything working underneath just relaxed and resting while you’re exercising. You can also think about your body being in half – the top is breathing and the bottom is gently lifting and squeezing through your pelvic floor muscles. Remember the feeling is all internal.

Hot Tip: your pelvic floor muscle contraction won’t feel like a big bicep contraction, they are small muscles and they are internal. I think one mistake people make is expecting if to feel like this huge contraction. It won’t, it will be subtle.

Long term we do want our pelvic floor muscles to work with our deeper abdominal muscles with more functional exercises but that is down the track once you have mastered the pelvic floor muscles alone. Our Pelvic Floor strength systems for pregnancy and our new mum recovery program work with you every step of the way. Starting at the basics with video instruction and through to more functional exercises including your deep core and pelvis stability.

Unsure how to solve your leakage?
Or if you can activate your muscles?

Take our Vagina Winks test to see if they are for you!

Tags pelvic floor exercise, pelvic floor mistakes, vagina winks