After suffering from a prolonged case of postpartum incontinence, Missy Lavender, executive director and founder of the Women's Health Foundation (http://www.womenshealthfoundation.org), created the Total ControlTM program. Here, she discusses the work she's done with physical therapists, urogynecologists, and other women's-health experts and reveals what she's learned firsthand about women's incontinence.
Q: Why do you think so many women are suffering from bladder leakage and/or incontinence in this country?
A: I feel very strongly that, as a culture, we are divorced from our pelvises. We go through these huge life events, such as pregnancy and menopause, that test the health of this region. Pregnancy is the Boston Marathon of pelvic health, and yet through pregnancy, we focus on the baby and our growing bodies. After we give birth, we focus on dropping any weight we've gained and taking care of the baby, but we don't stop to realize that this life-altering event has changed our bodies from the inside out. Most women who develop bladder leakage or incontinence after pregnancy ignore it, and when they finally get talking about it, I'm amazed to hear woman after woman say things like, "I wasn't told," "I didn't know," or "I thought I was the only one with this problem." We need to wake up and learn that there are basic behavioral and holistic means—not a magic pill and not a magic surgery—but powerful tools and solutions out there for solving bladder-leakage problems.
Q: You speak from experience, correct?
A: Yes. I'm an incontinence patient myself; I used to be a pelvic-health disaster. After my first pregnancy, when I had my son, I was 40 years old. I had done nothing for my pelvic health before giving birth—no Kegels or anything. After two and a half hours of pushing, an episiotomy, and a forceps delivery, the next day I got out of bed, and I had no control of my bladder. In fact, one in three moms end up with a chronically out of control bladder. Here I was, a newlywed, with a new baby and a new body, in tears at my OB/GYN's office. And the doctor says, "Go home, do your Kegels, and give it six months." I was devastated. But I got lucky—I got good advice from a friend, who told me to see a urogynecologist, and I found relief.
Q: And it was out of that experience that the Women's Health Foundation was formed. Tell me about the Foundation and what you do
A: We want to teach women enough to get them to the right care for their bladder-leakage or incontinence problems, and to get them there faster. The cornerstone of that program is Total Control, a medically based, no-impact, total body workout aimed at developing fitness from the inside out.
(Refer to an earlier article at www.poise.com/Learn/LifeAndHealth/BladderHealth/InnerCore.aspx) This biweekly class runs for seven weeks, and the exercises, which are really more than just Kegels, are designed to help women isolate the three key support muscles for the spine and pelvis that make up the Pelvic Pyramid, or the three muscle groups that help control the bladder, flatten the abdominals, and influence sexual satisfaction. Preliminary study results have shown that these exercises can improve both stress incontinence (SUI) and urge incontinence (UI) symptoms, and there's a big improvement in sexual health and function, including stronger orgasms. The program also provides information on pelvic and bladder anatomy, the value of nutrition, and lifestyle tips to prevent, manage, or alleviate the symptoms of leakage, frequency, or urge.
Q: But now you're expanding TotalControl beyond the classroom setting?
A: Yes, we have a DVD called the "Total ControlTM Workout: Be Fit, Be Sexy, Be in Control." It has a 60-minute exercise workout, an informative educational booklet, and expert testimonials from doctors, current instructors, and previous participants.
Q: And you also just published a book?
A: Yes, it's called You Go Girl...But Only When You Want To. I wrote it in conjunction with Dorothy Smith, RN, who specializes in women's bladder issues. It includes a variety of tips and techniques that can be implemented immediately in order to improve bladder control, including information on diet, bathroom habits, medical devices, medications, surgery, and biofeedback, as well as specific techniques for strengthening the muscles of the Pelvic Pyramid. Our goal is for women to learn how they can immediately improve their bladder health or, if they are healthy now, how to prevent problems in the future.
Q: What's next for the Women's Health Foundation?
A: Some women, due to culture, language, or access to health care, can't do the program as it's designed right now, so we're working on a program for chair-based seniors, and we're developing a three-hour program, to be held at churches or community centers, for working women or women from a variety of communities.
Editor's Note: For more information about Missy Lavendar and the The TotalControlTM program visit www.totalcontrolprogram.com.
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