Getting the Most From Your GP Appointment, With Dr Aziza Sesay

How do you get the most out of your GP appointment if you have symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction? Whether it's urinary incontinence, bowel incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, sexual dysfunction or chronic pelvic pain - how do you maximise your (all-too-brief) consultation to get the help you need?In this episode Helen speaks to Dr Aziza Sesay, a GP with a special interest in women’s health and an educator, who shares evidence-based health information on social media and through her website: ‘Talks with Dr. Sesay'. Dr Aziza explains how to help your doctor help you - with suggestions on what to prepare, what questions to ask and what to do if you feel you're not being listened to. She lifts the lid on vaginal examinations and reimagines a world where women's health is made a priority. Oh and there's a farting chair. Yep. Dr Aziza is @talkswithdrsesay on InstagramYou can find the the NICE guidelines for the prevention, assessment and non-surgical management of pelvic floor dysfunction hereYou can read more about Perinatal Pelvic Health Services here

Helen speaks to Holly Puddephatt, a content creator from Leeds, host of the podcast Me, Myself & Mum Life and mum to toddler, Thea. Holly discovered she had pelvic organ prolapse in October last year, two years after her daughter was born. Like so many of us, she'd never heard of it and was terrified about what it would mean, especially as someone with a huge passion for exercise.'I love exercise. It's a massive part of my life...and I was reading all this stuff online saying you can't run, you can't do this or that. And for me, that would be like ripping my legs off. That's how it felt.'In this episode, Holly describes how she set about reclaiming her life: absorbing as much information as she could, seeking out the support of a pelvic health physiotherapist, practising hypopressives and sourcing a pessary, as well as sharing her journey on social media. Holly is @hollyandthea on InstagramFind out more about pessaries in this episode of the podcastFind out more about hypopressives in this episode of the podcastFind out more about returning to exercise with prolapse in this episode of the podcastSeason 5 of Why Mums Don't Jump is sponsored by IMEDicare - Pelvic Health Naturally. IMEDicare supplies a range of easy-to-use, medically approved products including Lumana incontinence leggings and running shorts, the Efemia bladder support and Enna Pelvic Ball; a discount code is available via my online affiliate shop.Sign up for the Why Mums Don't Jump email newsletter for the latest news and offers!

Everywoman is back! After a sparkling launch in 2023, the Everywoman Festival is returning to Cardiff on Saturday June 15th, 2024! The festival is about offering empowerment, support and education on health topics that may be difficult or considered taboo to talk about. This year there'll be a whopping six tents, with more than sixty expert speakers, drop-ins and workshops covering topics including menopause, pelvic health, sexual health, IBS, endometriosis, gender health inequalities, cancer survivorship and chronic conditions, as well as drop-in sessions, support groups, music, street food, burlesque and booby pompons!Helen is an ambassador for the festival and in this special, bonus episode she's joined by fellow ambassadors: the GP and health educator Dr Aziza Sesay; pelvic health physiotherapist and creator of #SqueezeAlong, Suzanne Vernazza; Love Your Period founder and an activist living with a brain tumour, Molly Fenton; and Everywoman founder and colorectal consultant, Julie Cornish. They share their highlights from 2023 and what they're looking forward to this year. You can buy tickets from The Everywoman Festival websiteYou can follow @theeverywomanfestival on Instagram

Forget Glastonbury! There's a women's health festival happening in Cardiff on Saturday June 24th, 2023, and it's going to be epic!The EveryWoman Festival is about offering empowerment, support and education on health topics that may be difficult or considered taboo to talk about. In this bonus episode, Helen is joined by the colorectal surgeon and EveryWoman founder, Julie Cornish, as well as fellow-speakers: the GP and health educator Dr Aziza Sesay and author of PMSL, Luce Brett. They give us a flavour of what's to come - smashing pelvic health taboos, closing the gender health gap, periods, menopause, mental health and sexual wellbeing...alongside belly dancing, cookery, music and more!You can buy tickets from The EveryWoman Festival websiteYou can follow @theeverywomanfestival on Instagram

If you've ever Googled your pelvic floor problems, you've probably come across Hypopressives. They're not easy to describe, but are essentially a series of breathing and posture exercises for your core and pelvic floor, with a focus on decreasing intra-abdominal pressure. While they're not currently a recommended NHS treatment, more evidence is emerging about the use of hypopressives in treating symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction, including incontinence and prolapse. Alice Housman is a hypopressives trainer with a background in gynaecology nursing, and she’s working to publish her own research. She's also a mum with pelvic organ prolapse, who found that hypopressives helped her to become virtually asymptomatic. In this episode Helen and Alice discuss hypopressives - what they are, how they're thought to work and what the evidence is behind them.As ever, this content is not intended as medical advice, so please seek out your own professional support and, of course, do your own research. You can find Alice's website hereAlice is @hypopressives_with_alice on Instagram The paper that Alice refers to is Effectiveness of Hypopressive Exercises in Women with Pelvic Floor Dysfunction: A Randomised Controlled Trial (Navarro-Brazález, B.; Prieto-Gómez, V.; Prieto-Merino, D.; Sánchez-Sánchez, B.; McLean, L.; Torres-Lacomba, M. Effectiveness of Hypopressive Exercises in Women with Pelvic Floor Dysfunction: A Randomised Controlled Trial. J. Clin. Med. 2020, 9, 1149. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm9041149)Not an ad!

In 2022, for the first time, a pelvic health guide was published to help non-specialist clinicians advise women on pelvic floor muscle training. It's for GPs, midwives, nurses and health visitors - to try to plug a long-standing knowledge gap and help more women with pelvic floor dysfunction to access practical support. In this episode, Helen speaks to Dr Adanna Okeahialam, an Obstetrics & Gynaecology registrar with an interest in Urogynaecology, and co-author of the 'Pelvic Floor Muscle Training: A Practical Guide'.They discuss the sudden spotlight on pelvic health, why pelvic floor exercises are a first line treatment and their role in preventing pelvic floor dysfunction. NICE Guideline: Pelvic floor dysfunction: prevention and non-surgical management (Published 9 Dec 2021)RCOG Position Statement: Pelvic Floor HealthRCOG Survey: Pelvic Floor HealthPelvic health resources from POGPIf you're new to pelvic floor dysfunction and want to go back to basics, go back and listen to this episode.The book, Why Mums Don't Jump: Ending the Pelvic Floor Taboo, is available NOW!

How do you safely return to exercise when you have pelvic floor problems? Maybe you're afraid to make a prolapse worse, or you leak when you run or jump. Maybe you've been advised to avoid running, jumping or lifting, and if so, how do you find a way to feel strong again? Helen speaks to the pre and postnatal exercise specialist Shakira Akabusi - founder of the maternal wellness platform, Strong Like Mum, public speaker, author and TV fitness expert. They discuss postpartum rehabilitation, the power in taking things slowly, and the role that fitness professionals can play in helping mums with pelvic floor dysfunction."I have never been stronger than I have after having a baby. Because the really special thing that pregnancy and postpartum gives you is this opportunity to really look at the foundations in a way that I never did when I was a teenager or in my twenties." Shakira is @shakira.akabusi on InstagramShakira's book: The Strong Like Mum Method is available hereIf you enjoyed this episode, you might also like this one, with pelvic health physio, Emma BrockwellThe book, Why Mums Don't Jump: Ending the Pelvic Floor Taboo, is available NOW!

<T/W: description of birth, perineal tear and blood loss>In this episode, Helen speaks to listener, Prudent Haughton, who developed prolapse, pelvic pain and incontinence following a severe tear during the birth of her second child, fifteen months ago. Prudent talks about how she, like so many of us, was taken completely by surprise, but how she's tackling her issues head on. Prudent describes her experience of birth,  pelvic health physiotherapy, osteopathy and fitness. She speaks about the importance of having supportive family and friends, and the benefits of learning to stop, relax and breathe. You'll come into a room, I'll be laying down on my back and my feet will just be up in the air! But it's made such a big difference to learn to just stop, and take a moment.The book, Why Mums Don't Jump: Ending the Pelvic Floor Taboo, is available NOW!

Picking up where we left off last time: surgical options for pelvic floor dysfunction. What treatments or procedures are available, what do they involve, and to what extent do they work? Urogynaecology is a sub-speciality of gynaecology that focuses on helping women with problems relating to the pelvic floor and bladder. It's where you might end up if you get a referral to see a specialist. In the second half of this two-part episode, Helen speaks to Dr Charlotte Mahoney, a consultant urogynaecologist at St Mary's hospital in Manchester, about treatments for overactive bladder (which includes urge incontinence), surgeries for pelvic organ prolapse and how to get the most from your long awaited appointment.For more NHS information about surgery and procedures for urinary incontinence, click hereFor more information on PTNS listen to the WMDJ episode 'Sara's Story'Colorectal services, listen to the WMDJ episode, 'Pelvic Floor Surgery: Colorectal'The book, Why Mums Don't Jump: Ending the Pelvic Floor Taboo, is available now!

If you have pelvic floor dysfunction, there's a good chance you've at least wondered about your surgical options. What treatments or procedures are available, what do they involve, and to what extent do they work?  Urogynaecology is a sub-speciality of gynaecology that focuses on helping women with problems relating to the pelvic floor and bladder. It's where you might end up if you get a referral to see a specialist. In the first half of this two-part episode, Helen speaks to Dr Charlotte Mahoney, a consultant urogynaecologist at St Mary's hospital in Manchester, about what happens during an assessment, where we're at with pelvic mesh, what treatments and surgeries are available for stress incontinence and the importance of 'prehab'. In part two (available from 4/4/23) Dr Mahoney gives an overview of treatments for overactive bladder (which includes urge incontinence), she outlines surgeries for pelvic organ prolapse and explains how to get the most from your long awaited appointment. For more NHS information about surgery and procedures for urinary incontinence, click hereYou can find the Cumberlege report (IMMDS Review) hereFor more information on Colorectal services, listen to the WMDJ episode, 'Pelvic Floor Surgery: Colorectal' The book, Why Mums Don't Jump: Ending the Pelvic Floor Taboo, is available now!