At Your Cervix

Tying up Season 5 of AYC the Podcast is Dr. Christina Prevett PT, PhD. Dr Prevett is a clinical researcher who focuses on strength training in both pregnantand aging populations. She is also lead faculty at the Institute of Clinical Excellence Physio for Pelvic Health & Geriatrics, and Creator of the Barbell Mamas. Christina helps female athletes maximize fitness potential with online programming for pregnant & postpartum CrossFitters & weightlifters. We discuss research on female athletes, common misconceptions and myths floating around social media and where future focus should lie. Christina is a BOSS and we loved having her on the show. We look forward to following her future work. Find Christina on Instagram @dr.christina_prevett www.thebarbellamas.com

This week we are joined by Football legend Katie Chapman. Katie Chapman is a former English footballer who last played for Chelsea Ladies and England’s women’s national team.   At the age of 10, Katie began her professional career at Millwall Lionesses. Developing her skillset within the academy, she made her senior debut for the team in the 1996/97 season. Having showcased her ability in the 1997 FA Women’s Premier League Cup, Katie was awarded the FA Young Player of the Year which allowed her to sign a contract with Fulham, making the move to Arsenal ladies in 2006, then to Chicago Red Stars and her final senior team, Chelsea Ladies in 2014.  Aside from her senior career, Katie was the Under 18 England captain before being selected to be part of the national squad in 2000. After making her international debut in the UEFA Women’s Championship, she began starting games and scored her first international goal in the 2003 FIFA Women’s World Cup Qualification. She has 94 caps for England and retired from England in 2016 and from Chelsea in 2018. Katie is also a mother of 3 boys and is now woman’s ambassador for  Chelsea women’s football club.  Katie speaks to us about her incredible footballing career and being a mother athlete. To find out more about Katie visit: Instagram @katiechapmanofficial https://champions-speakers.co.uk/speaker-agent/katie-chapman

In today's episode we speak with Dr Rebeca Seagraves PT, DPT who is a Board-certified Women's Health Clinical Specialist and founder of Enhanced Recovery After Delivery - an obstetric clinical pathway that maximizes mental and physical function during pregnancy and immediately postpartum with hospital and in-home occupational and physical therapy. She has extensive experience treating perinatal and pelvic health conditions in acute care, home health, and outpatient settings including long-term hospitalizations for high-risk pregnancy and following perinatal loss. She has worked with inpatient obstetrics and gynecology teams to maximize early recovery after delivery and pelvic surgery, including hysterectomy, prolapse repair, endometriosis surgery, cesarean section, birth-related injuries, and following obstetrics critical care interventions. She is the founder of Enhanced Recovery After Delivery™ , an obstetrics clinical pathway that maximizes mental and physical function during pregnancy and immediately postpartum with hospital and in-home occupational and physical therapy. Her vision is that every person will have access to a qualified rehab therapist during pregnancy and within the first 6 weeks after birth, perinatal loss, pregnancy termination, and any pelvic surgery regardless of their location or ability to pay. https://enhancedrecoveryafterdelivery.com/program/ Rebeca is also the CEO of the Pelvic Health Network https://pelvichealthnetwork.org/?fbclid=PAAabRhhusYmb6FqDBRe9pXYV8jGhosBaaiohYjLcFzF2T_Hb8d9Dnk5Q7BdA In this episode we refer to the '4th Trimester Care Around the World Event' which can be watched on demand here https://youtu.be/A-_7u7IA9TY?si=EkvuIr6rRveXbXY8

Dr Giselle Aerni is a sports medicine physician and creator of the Madam Athlete Podcast. She has covered everything from the WNBA, to NCAA DI and DIII national championship-winning teams, to high-school sports and marathons. In her role as a sports medicine fellowship director, she also teaches and mentors future sports medicine physicians to prepare them for careers of their own. We discuss the importance of career and life satisfaction, not following the crowd if the status quo isn't for you and how and where to access coaching support. You can find out more about Giselle and her podcast and courses here: Webstite https://madamathlete.com/ Instagram @themadamathlete Happy listening Emma and Gráinne

We are back! To open season 5 we have a very special personal experience of navigating the trials and tribulations of postpartum pelvic organ prolapse with Caoímhe Cummins - who is the founder and person behind the popular Instagram account @thebighillhouse. Caoímhe, who is a primary school teacher turned digital creator, offers a social media window into life as a busy stay-at-home mum to FOUR beautiful kids. Her Instagram content uncovers all things involved with mum life, house DIY, fashion, beauty and current affairs. One such current affair just so happened to be the common, yet taboo, issue of pelvic organ prolapse. Tune in to see how Caoímhe discovered her pelvic floor issues and what she did about them. This is an authentic, real life, no frills insight into the real life issues that women are predisposed to. The good news is they can be managed...but you need to listen to learn how!

**Bonus series**  Learn all about Diastasis Rectus Abdominis and what contemporary evidence informed management looks like as Gráinne busts the myths with Antony Lo and Claire Black and learns all about Claire's lived experience of Diastasis. If you have not already listened to Part 1, check it out first and then follow the discussion as Claire discusses her subsequent pregnancy with a Diastasis, conflicting messages surrounding it and how recovery went second time round. Hear evidence informed insights from Antony Lo and learn about the fun journey Claire, Antony and Gráinne have been on over the last few years...! Claire Black is a former criminal lawyer from Scotland who experienced significant, persisting diastasis following the birth of her first baby. Not only has she been a driver in raising awareness of diastasis around the world but her personal experience has also served as a catalyst for change and development to ensure professionals around the world are implementing best practice. She lives with her husband, son, daughter and two spaniels. She has always had a love for sport and exercise and recently became engaged with Crossfit (even with a significant diastasis) and is now stronger and more capable than ever before! She has a blog capturing more of her journey called Bump, Birth and Beyond https://www.tumblr.com/mybumpbirthandbeyond. You can also find Claire on Instagram @clairemmac.  Antony Lo is a physiotherapist from Australia and runs The Physio Detective service and My PT Education. He helps the general public and health and fitness professionals who struggle to progress women to moderate-to-high intensity exercise by cutting through the BS and thinking outside the box so they confidently assist people to achieve their goals. He earned his degree from the University of Sydney and has been in practice since 1997 (old enough to see old things come back as new things!). He completed his post- graduate Master in Manual Therapy (Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy) from the University of Western Australia and commenced his Specialization training in Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy. He has been involved in antenatal and postnatal education and management for his whole career (since 1997). Through participation and through his work as a Physiotherapist at all levels of sport, coaching and education, he has developed a model of treatment that utilizes the best from Sports Science, Musculoskeletal/Sports Physiotherapy, Pain Science, and Women’s Health research to provide a practical, realistic holistic model of care balancing the biopsychosocial model of healthcare with the best of historical assessment and management approaches. He is privileged to teach health and fitness professionals around the world in person and online in addition to his clinical work. Antony has a wife and 3 beautiful children in the best city in the world – Sydney, Australia!  Contact: www.antonylo.com www.Instagram.com/physiodetective If you enjoy this episode, are accessible to Dublin, Ireland and wish to learn more about diastasis, Claire and I will be joining Antony Lo on his Irish leg of teaching this month 21st and 22nd January 2023. We would love you to join! Sign up at https://mypteducation.com/learn/#upcominglive. 

**Bonus series**  Learn all about diastasis rectus abdominis and what contemporary evidence informed management looks like as Gráinne busts the myths with Antony Lo and Claire Black and learns all about Claire's lived experience of it. If you enjoy this episode, are accessible to Dublin, Ireland and wish to learn more about diastasis, Claire and I will be joining Antony Lo on his Irish leg of teaching this month 21st and 22nd January 2023. We would love you to join! Sign up at https://mypteducation.com/learn/#upcominglive. Claire Black is a former criminal lawyer from Scotland who experienced significant, persisting diastasis following the birth of her first baby. Not only has she been a driver in raising awareness of diastasis around the world but her personal experience has also served as a catalyst for change and development to ensure professionals around the world are implementing best practice. She lives with her husband, son, daughter and two spaniels. She has always had a love for sport and exercise and recently became engaged with Crossfit (even with a significant diastasis) and is now stronger and more capable than ever before! She has a blog capturing more of her journey called Bump, Birth and Beyond https://www.tumblr.com/mybumpbirthandbeyond. You can also find Claire on Instagram @clairemmac. Antony Lo is a physiotherapist from Australia and runs The Physio Detective service and My PT Education. He helps the general public and health and fitness professionals who struggle to progress women to moderate-to-high intensity exercise by cutting through the BS and thinking outside the box so they confidently assist people to achieve their goals. He earned his degree from the University of Sydney and has been in practice since 1997 (old enough to see old things come back as new things!). He completed his post- graduate Master in Manual Therapy (Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy) from the University of Western Australia and commenced his Specialization training in Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy. He has been involved in antenatal and postnatal education and management for his whole career (since 1997). Through participation and through his work as a Physiotherapist at all levels of sport, coaching and education, he has developed a model of treatment that utilizes the best from Sports Science, Musculoskeletal/Sports Physiotherapy, Pain Science, and Women’s Health research to provide a practical, realistic holistic model of care balancing the biopsychosocial model of healthcare with the best of historical assessment and management approaches. He is privileged to teach health and fitness professionals around the world in person and online in addition to his clinical work. Antony has a wife and 3 beautiful children in the best city in the world – Sydney, Australia!  Contact: www.antonylo.com www.Instagram.com/physiodetective

Emma and Grainne are delighted to present a very special FINALE episode. In this episode, they are joined by Olympian and world champion long distance runner Kara Goucher! This season of At Your Cervix has discussed so many facets of pelvic health with a strong bias towards the female athlete. In this episode, the discussion with Kara brings it all together. Kara has had an incredible career and has been exposed to many of the issues we have discussed throughout this season like REDs , pregnancy and postpartum complications as well as transitioning from athlete to mother athlete. Kara is a huge advocate of educating young athletes and a true inspiration to all women, young and old!  This really is a must listen, get ready to be inspired, impassioned and excited about the future of the female athlete!   Kara's Bio  KARA GOUCHER is an American long-distance runner. She won the silver medal at the 2007 World Championships in the 10,000 meters and is a two-time Olympian. A podium finisher at the Boston and New York City Marathons, she also competed for the University of Colorado, where she was a three-time NCAA champion. After more than a decade as a Nike athlete, Kara is now sponsored by Oiselle and Altra and is a cofounder of the Clean Sport Collective, an anti-doping initiative. She lives in Boulder, Colorado, with her husband, Adam, also an elite runner, and their son, Colt. Read more about her at karagoucher.com.

**** Trigger warning This episode discusses birth trauma and birth injuries***** Perineal injuries during childbirth known as OASI (Obstetric Anal Sphincter Injury) or 3rd and 4th degree tears. A third-degree tear is a perineal tear that extends into the muscle of the external anal sphincter. If the tear extends further into the lining of the anus or rectum it is known as a fourth-degree tear. The incidence of OASI in the UK is 2.9% with an incidence rate of 6.1% in first births – meaning around 1 in 20 first-time mums in the UK suffer this type of serious injury. The main risk factor for anal incontinence amongst childbearing women is an OASI injury but OASI injuries can also cause other symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction. An OASI can have a devastating impact on quality of life - affecting a woman’s health, intimate relationships, family relationships and employment. In today's episode Emma Talks to Joanna Prance, Personal Trainer, Yoga Instructor, Ostomate and a Mum. In 1998, Jo was 22 when she sustained life-changing injuries during the traumatic birth of her son. The extent of these devastating injuries only manifested over time and she could never have imagined the ordeal of what the subsequent 23 years would bring or the impact her childbirth experience would have on the rest of her life. As a result she has undergone multiple treatments, procedures and over 17 surgical interventions, including TVT mesh, sacral neuromodulation and colostomy surgery. Speaker Bio  Through her work as Speaker and educator Joanna is keen to raise awareness of how life-changing severe childbirth injuries are to those who suffer them and their families and to improve the outcomes for those affected by these injuries. Jo began her involvement with The MASIC Foundation in 2019, a charity that supports women who have suffered serious injuries like OASI (Obstetric Anal Sphincter Injury) during childbirth and is a MASIC Advocate. She has also been engaged with project work for Colostomy UK, a charity that supports and empowers people living with a stoma A keen sportswoman, she has sustained an active lifestyle despite facing numerous challenges as a result of her injuries. She enjoys yoga, walking, strength training and last year returned to competitive swimming. Jo’s fitness and healthcare career spans over 17 years through her private work as a Personal Trainer and formerly in the public sector as a specialist Cardiac Rehabilitation Instructor. You can find her on instagram @colostomummy To find out more about MASICs please visit www.masic.org,uk

The conversation around the menopause is finely gathering pace. It's a hot topic in the press and there are many great campaigns, more books and resources that can help women manage the menopause and seek the treatment they want and deserve.  The menopause can be difficult to navigate and is still shrouded in mystery. Grainne and Emma had a great conversation about the menstrual cycle with Michelle Lyons in season 2 where we touched on menopause. In today's episode we were delighted to discuss the menopause in greater depth with Dr Orla Conlon. In this episode Orla debunks myths and provides some sound advice for any woman who is peri or post menopausal. She helps highlight that the menopause can be a positive time in a woman's life, a time that can be embraced.  If you enjoy this episode please share and of course leave a review!  Speakers Bio Dr Orla Conlon graduated in Medicine from Queen’s University, Belfast in 1995 and has been working in Obstetrics & Gynaecology since 1996. She became a Member of the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists in 2000 and was appointed to what was previously known as The Erne Hospital in Enniskillen as Consultant in Obstetrics & Gynaecology in March 2007. She is also a specialist with the British Menopause Society with a special interest in vulval conditions She holds specialist training in obstetric ultrasound, gynaecological imaging, colposcopy, advanced hysteroscopy, psychosexual medicine and Menopause with a specialist interest in vulval conditions.  She has presented papers at many national & international meetings and has several publications in peer review journals.