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 difficul

Hypopressives

May 9th, 2023 26m 49s

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 decreasi

Dr Adanna's Pelvic Floor Guide

May 2nd, 2023 23m 27s

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 a

Strong Like Mum, with Shakira Akabusi

Apr 25th, 2023 29m 52s

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

Prudent's Story

Apr 11th, 2023 30m 24s

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 mon

Pelvic Floor Surgery: Urogynaecology (Part Two)

Apr 4th, 2023 28m 57s

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 fo

Pelvic Floor Surgery: Urogynaecology (Part One)

Mar 28th, 2023 29m 42s

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-speci

Sarah Jayne Dunn

Mar 21st, 2023 35m 53s

In this episode, Helen and the actress Sarah Jayne Dunn talk about postpartum recovery and how hard that can be, especially if thi

The Lowdown on Pelvic Pain

Mar 14th, 2023 30m 52s

You might have heard the term 'pelvic pain' but what does it really mean? And how does it relate to pelvic floor problems after childbirth? In this episode Helen speaks to Virginia Rivers Bulkeley, a specialist pelvic health physiotherapist an

Katie's Story

Mar 7th, 2023 28m 8s

Helen speaks to listener, Katie Nicolson, who struggled with stress incontinence after having a severe tear during childbirth two years ago. Katie talks about the shock reality of postpartum recovery, her journey to the 2022 London marathon and

The Gender Health Gap, with Sarah Graham

May 17th, 2022 27m 2s

The gender health gap. It's a phrase we're hearing more and more and is relevant around the world. So what's it all about and what does it mean for those of us with pelvic floor dysfunction? Helen chats to the award-winning health journalist,

Bonus

BONUS EPISODE: The Therapeutic Poet

May 10th, 2022 2m 50s

Crazy times at WMDJ HQ so no full episode this week, sorry! Instead, here's something to make you smile from a listener, psychotherapist and poet, Jacky Power (aka The Therapeutic Poet). Normal service resumes next week!Jacky hosts The Therapeu

Ending the Pelvic Floor Taboo, with Dr Catherine Blackledge

May 3rd, 2022 27m 19s

Pelvic floor problems are surrounded by stigma and shame, but have you ever wondered why? Why do we find anything remotely related to our genitalia so embarrassing? And if we didn't, what difference would it make to how we feel?Helen meets Dr C

Niki's Story

Apr 26th, 2022 28m 37s

Diastasis recti is where the muscles that run down the middle of your stomach separate during pregnancy. It's really common and usually goes back to normal within eight weeks of delivery, but sometimes it doesn't. And it can lead to back proble

Helen Gets a Pessary

Apr 19th, 2022 19m 28s

It's a big day in Helen's pessary saga! After a year-long wait to be fitted for a vaginal pessary, she's offered a private appointment with a specialist in London. In this episode, you'll hear what happens at a pessary fitting when Helen visits

Elaine Miller (Gusset Grippers)

Apr 12th, 2022 26m 12s

Helen is joined by Elaine Miller (aka Gusset Grippers) - a fellow of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy and award winning comedian who's on a mission to tackle your pelvic floor...whilst making you laugh, which sounds counterintuitive but a

Sophie Power

Apr 5th, 2022 24m 48s

Returning to running postpartum is one thing. Then add pelvic floor problems to the mix. Now imagine you're an ultra-runner who likes to do 100-plus mile races. This is Sophie Power.Since a photo of her breastfeeding her baby mid-race went vira

Pelvic Floor Surgery: Colorectal

Mar 29th, 2022 29m 45s

Surgical treatments for pelvic floor problems are many and varied, but with the vaginal mesh scandal fresh in our minds, it's easy to feel lost and unsure. Which specialist should you be referred to? What sorts of conversations might you have?

Sara's Story

Mar 22nd, 2022 33m 1s

Helen is joined by Sara Duckett, a listener and a mum-of-two. Sara has struggled with urinary and bowel incontinence, as well as prolapse, since the birth of her first child in 2016, but says a non-surgical treatment (PTNS) has been life changi

The M Word: Menopause and Your Pelvic Floor

Mar 15th, 2022 23m 8s

Menopause is having a moment, with celebrities, books and TV programmes taking on the taboo that has surrounded it for so long. But what does menopause (and perimenopause) mean for those of us with pelvic floor problems? Helen chats to a self-d

Carina White

Mar 8th, 2022 23m 21s

Helen is joined by Carina White - broadcaster, cultural commentator and co-host of the podcast Black Mums Upfront. Carina shares her experience of incontinence after childbirth and her long journey towards finding help. She talks with passion a

Bonus

Bonus Episode: 60 Second Pelvic Floor Squeeze-Along

Jan 6th, 2022 2m 23s

If you're anything like me and you know you're supposed to be doing your pelvic floor exercises but...(insert excuse here)...fear not! Here's a sixty second squeeze-along to help you get it done! In this bonus episode you'll hear the dulcet ton

Vaginal Pessaries: A Deep Dive

Apr 28th, 2021 29m 42s

Ring, Gellhorn, Donut, Cube, Shaatz, Gehrung. They might sound like Trolls' characters, but they are, in fact, types of vaginal pessaries. A pessary is a plastic or silicone device which can be inserted into the vagina to help support the pelvi

Pop Club 2

Apr 21st, 2021 28m 24s

Pop Club is back! Helen catches up with 'Skye' and 'Jess' -- friends with pelvic organ prolapse who keep each other smiling. There's a new baby, talk of surgery and reflections on birth trauma, mental health...and a ban on mirrors. The previous

Pelvic Floor Gadgets (Vadgets)

Apr 14th, 2021 27m 47s

Wands. Cones. Probes. Biofeedback. Stimulators. Shorts. Apps. Weights. Chairs. Video Games?! Pelvic floor tech can be confusing but fear not! In this episode, Helen speaks to the pelvic health physiotherapist and self-confessed gadget nerd, Ama