Why Doing Kegels Alone Is Not Enough - How To Keep You Pelvic Floor In Shape Before & After Birth

Many women believe that a weakened pelvic floor is an inevitable consequence of pregnancy and childbirth despite the advice to do as many Kegels as you can when you are pregnant. The problem is just doing Kegels alone is not an effective way to optimise and protect your pelvic floor and can do more harm than good.

Indeed one in 4 women suffers from stress incontinence and wets their knickers every time they sneeze, cough, exercise, laugh or dance and this starts for most women when they become pregnant. It is not something that can get better on its own and left untreated may lead to a prolapsed bladder, bowel or womb. The problem is so bad that even new mums in their early thirties are already wearing incontinence pads.

Jenni Russell, pelvic floor specialist and author of the recently published"Pelvic Floor Secrets: Six Weeks To Continence, Confidence & Sexual Satisfaction", says it just doesn't have to be this way. She has devised an antenatal pelvic floor conditioning programme that has been created to help improve overall pelvic floor health. By following her programme pregnant women are reporting an easier delivery and have experienced less trauma, tearing or having stitches when giving birth, which means a reduction in pain and a speedier recovery.

New mothers also might, if they are brave, tell you that when they eventually felt like having sex again that it just didn't feel the same as before they gave birth. A weakened pelvic floor can lead to vaginal laxity and this means loss of sensation for both partners.

Stress incontinence and lack of sexual satisfaction usually starts after childbirth and while it remains one of the last taboos associated with the effects of pregnancy and childbirth there is something that can be done to avoid it.

"Pregnancy and giving birth can wreak havoc on your pelvic floor if you don't have a proper plan in place. Doing Kegels alone is just not enough to avoid tearing and the need for stitches and doesn't guarantee continence once the baby has been born", says Jenni.

Jenni's "New Mum's Programme" is easy to follow and something you can do for the rest of your life, and with a well conditioned pelvic floor you will recover from labour faster, reduce the risk of Rectus Diastasis, which is when the abdominal muscle separates during pregnancy and birth. Following the New Mum's Programme will tone up your tummy and bottom , your posture will improve and women report that their level of sexual satisfaction after the baby has been born is likely to be better than ever before for both you and your other half.

"Having a strong pelvic floor can make a huge difference to one's quality of life, no more worrying about leaking, no need for incontinence pads and no potentially serious medical conditions such as a prolapsed bladder, bowel or womb and to top it all a vastly improved sex life", says Jenni.

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www.jennirussell.com

Pelvic Floor Secrets by Jenni Russell is published by Filament Publishing £15.99 and is available from good bookshops and to buy and download fromAmazon.

ISBN 978-1-908691-39-2

For further information please contact: Caroline Ratner, Caroline Ratner Communications: 020 8209 0120,caroline@carolinecomms.com

Notes to Editors

Pelvic Floor Dysfunction

Figures of women suffering from Pelvic Floor Dysfunction can be as high as one in two women throughout the world; from lack of sensation during sex to prolapsed pelvic organs or embarrassing "oops" moments.

A recent survey by Dr Hilary Jones on ITV'sLorraine(October 2012) found that 84% of women questioned had some form of incontinence with fewer than 40% seeking help from their GP because of the embarrassment and stigma attached to the subject.

Pelvic Floor Secrets is a sensory programme with three main aims; co-ordination, strength and endurance. It is these three principles that will have you enjoying better sex right into your twilight years.

About Jenni Russell

Jenni Russell has been specialising in pelvic floor health since 1996 and sees private clients at the UK's only dedicated pelvic floor clinic at 1 Harley Street, London W1. She is committed to helping women achieve pelvic floor health without surgery or medication.

She is CHEK certified: Holistic Health, Lifestyle (Level 1) and Exercise Coach with over 20 years of personal training experience, specialising in pelvic floor health since 1996. 

Jenni's first book, "Can a Vagina Really Buy a Mercedes?"(2005) was featured onITV's This Morningand inThe News of the World Sunday Magazine.

Jenni speaks on the topic throughout the UK and is a regular contributor to local radio, with BBC London presenter Vanessa Feltz describing her as having an "Obama-like quality."

She is a seasoned athlete, and has been crowned "Britain's Fittest Woman" after winning the British Ultrafit Championship three times in 1995, 1998 and 2000 and is the record holder in the event. In 2000, Jenni took part in the Channel 5 game show The Desert Forges a gruelling challenge of endurance tests set in the scorching Wadi Rum desert in Jordan, and emerged the winner. She has also run both the London and New York marathons and continues to raise money for charity.