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• Posted July 15, 2024

Most Americans Think Incontinence, Pelvic Pain after Childbirth is Normal -- It's Not

Roughly a month after having her second child, Nicole Gerardi-Lukens suddenly felt pressure in her pelvis that was so intense it sent her to the hospital.

When doctors told her bladder had prolapsed -- meaning that it had slipped from its normal position and was bulging into the vaginal wall -- she anticipated surgery and a long, difficult recovery with a newborn and 4-year-old at home.

"I was so relieved when I was referred to a pelvic floor therapist," Gerardi-Lukens said. 

Many women think it's normal for new moms to experience pain, pressure and incontinence, but these are actually signs of pelvic floor issues, and a new nationwide survey shows that about one-third of women experience them after giving birth. 

"When we say it's not normal, what we mean it's not something you should have to live with," said occupational therapist Tessa Ladd, who treated Gerardi-Lukens for her pelvic floor dysfunction at Orlando Health in central Florida.

But Gerardi-Lukens is far from alone.

The survey by Orlando Health Advanced Rehabilitation Institute found that 71% of Americans agree that leaking urine is to be expected after childbirth, and 51% think it's normal for postpartum sex to be painful. But both are telltale signs of pelvic floor damage.

The pelvic floor is the collection of muscles and ligaments that support the vagina, uterus, bladder and rectum. They can be damaged through pregnancy, childbirth or normal aging, leading to incontinence, pain and pressure.

"Childbirth puts a lot of trauma on the body, but just like with any other injury, muscles and tissues should have the ability to recover and support the internal organs," Ladd said in an institute news release. "If that doesn't happen, we can step in and help. The muscles within the pelvic floor are "¦ something that we do have control over, just like our biceps or our calves, and we have the ability to strengthen, lengthen and relax them."

Just over 7 in 10 respondents to the new survey said they think women should begin working out as soon as possible after giving birth to strengthen their abs and pelvic floor. Ladd disagrees.

"You can begin to do some deep breathing and learn correct body mechanics in that early postpartum phase, but it's also important to allow your body time to heal and not to do too much too fast," she said.

Among other things, Ladd taught Gerardi-Lukens how to breathe properly when she picks things up.

"It made me realize how much pressure I was putting on my pelvic floor with everyday tasks," she said. "I didn't always notice how much of that pressure I was feeling until I learned how to relieve it and could really feel the difference."

After working with Ladd, Gerardi-Lukens can lift her little ones without fear of pain or leakage. She wishes she had known about pelvic floor therapy sooner.

"You know your body, and you know when something's not right," she said in the institute news release. "As moms, we so often put everyone else first and even laugh off things like leakage as just a part of motherhood, but you have to decide if these are things you want to deal with forever. And if they're not, seek the help of a pelvic floor therapist."

Women shouldn't feel uneasy or ashamed if they are having incontinence or other pelvic floor difficulties, Ladd said. It's important to acknowledge the problem and speak to a health care provider because solutions are available.

"If we have a problem with our knee, we could talk to anyone about it without shame, without feeling uncomfortable or weird about it," Ladd said. "When we open up about the symptoms we're struggling with and understand that so many have this shared experience, we can help women live their lives free from pain and symptoms caused by these common and treatable issues."

The nationwide survey was conducted online May 31 to June 1 with 1,020 U.S. adults age 18 and older.

More information

A primer on urinary incontinence from the National Health Service details 10 ways to stop leaks.

SOURCE: Orlando Health, news release, July 15, 2024