My Pelvic Floor and the Menopause
HAVING JUST TURNED 50, I FEEL LIKE MY BODY IS GOING THROUGH MANY CHANGES, THAT ARE THE JOYS OF PERIMENOPAUSE.
NOTICEABLY WEAKENING MUSCLES, DEPLETING COLLAGEN, AND DROPS IN OESTROGEN AND TESTOSTERONE, REMOVING MY ABILITY TO LIVE THE FAST PACED LIFE I WAS USED TO.
I have been quite fortunate that my pelvic floor health has been good so far, (due to being a horse rider and having an active lifestyle), and also having had both my children through C section; thoughts of incontinence pads were a long way from being reality a year ago.
However, perimenopause is now prevalent in my life, and more recently I am experiencing some urine leakage after the flow, indicating my pelvic floor muscles are not in as good shape as I thought. This was confirmed further shortly after this unwelcome revelation, when I sneezed at the end of a run, and oops…. There it is, urinary incontinence….!
Now is definitely the time to start doing Kegels, however, I have never been that good at them – finding the muscles quite hard to locate, and tense up for any length of time, they felt laborious so I would be quickly disheartened and give up.
My pelvic floor muscles need a boost. Before the weakening gets any worse and I am wearing pads. I really want to keep incontinence at bay for as long as possible!
I have been blogging about The Emsella Chair pelvic floor strengthening treatment at The Springwell Clinic, Marlow, for a while now, and having previously convinced myself I was not a candidate for the treatment, I now find myself booking in for the first 2 sessions of the initial 3 week, 6 session course.
The amazingly knowledgeable and caring Emma completed my consultation and medical review so I passed for treatment (no copper coils or other metal allowed!), and there I was having my first Emsella session!
It is always a lovely atmosphere at the clinic, so I felt perfectly happy sitting on the chair in my newly christened ‘Emsella Dress’, otherwise fully clothed, with a lovely frothy coffee and selection of magazines, actually enjoying the ‘no digital’ rule whilst having the treatment.
The treatment is completely painless. Emma explains she likes to ramp the machine up to 100% for maximum effectiveness, if you can handle the unusual sensation in your private parts – because that’s what it is….a sensation, not a pain. It makes the muscles flinch at times, for anyone who’s had electromagnetic treatment during physio, it’s a very similar thing.
A note on the technology, HIFEM (High Intensity Focussed Electromagnetic Energy), is patented by the company that made Emsella, BTL, so it is specific to the treatment of pelvic floor muscles. Over the 28 minute session, the machine has a set cycle of different pulses which works to stimulate all the different networks of pelvic floor muscles.
There is also a second protocol which focuses on increasing blood flow, and feels a little more intense, but its worth sticking with it as blood flow is so important to the overall health of muscles.Healthy pelvic floor muscles with good blood flow are key to strong orgasms in women and achieving and sustaining erections in men….happy days! This here fact is a perfect reason to keep your pelvic floor healthy and strong!
MY CONCLUSIONS ON THE EMSELLA COURSE OF TREATMENTS
After my first session, I can honestly say that walking home it felt that my pelvic floor had had a real workout! It felt heavy and exhausted, a post-gym feeling but only in the pelvic area – quite an unusual feeling, but good.
My pelvic floor muscles have had a hammering afterall – to the equivalent of 11,000 Kegels in 28 minutes – totally unachievable unless you are a record breaker!
I felt quite smug that I’d found a solution to my recent leakage issues, and confident that after 6 sessions, my pelvic floor is going to be super strong!
My next realisation with the Emsella treatment was around the second or third session – I am now able to do amazing Kegels! According to Emma at The Springwell Clinic, Emsella has taught my brain where my pelvic floor muscles are, therefore making contractions easier, stronger and more direct than previously.
Locating your pelvic floor muscles and contracting them correctly is not easy, so this was a brilliant outcome for me. I am happily and directly locating my pelvic floor and doing some Kegels at home which is great progress!
This is the most attention my pelvic floor muscles have ever had, so I am thanking my brain for making this connection!
After the third session, my pelvic floor was feeling significantly stronger to the point where I was not experiencing any leakages, and was able to hold the flow where it may have leaked out previously. I am really pleased with the progress, and am fully resigned to sealing the deal on a strong pelvic floor by getting the most out of my last 3 sessions, confident that I won’t need a top-up for 6 months.
My last 3 sessions were all on protocol 2 which seemed to be working well for me. I did some further research, as I am curious about what these magnetic pulses are doing to my body. I came across this diagram from an independent study in the US showing the narrowing of the pelvic floor cavity and reduction in the thickness of the walls indicating the improved condition of the muscles, seriously impressive!
I feel fortunate to have found a solution in time before my incontinence was beyond help. My pelvic floor health is back to where it was 2 years ago, pre-menopause – healthy with no incontinence symptoms, thanks to Emsella.
If you are struggling with pelvic floor issues, bladder weakness, urinary incontinence, bowel incontinence, man or woman, I would highly recommend booking a taster session and consultation with Emma at The Springwell Clinic in Marlow.
You can book directly at online here.. Go for it! Your pelvic floor will thank you!
Lydia James is a Marketer from Marlow, Bucks.