The perineum is under pressure throughout life with the weight of the viscera but also the uterus in the pregnant woman, but also that of pressure during physical exercises, and more and more in young women we specifies Mr. Bourcier specialist in perineal reeducation:

12% of women aged 20 to 29 suffer from incontinence "

With the first consequence of a weakened perineum, urinary leakage - at the first sneeze, for example - which can sometimes turn into incontinence ... their inconvenience has sometimes extremely embarrassing consequences in women's lives that they pass over in silence with a feeling of shame. To discuss the symptoms and solutions to strengthen the perineal muscles, we interviewed Alain Bourcier.

What are the daily inconveniences of a weakened perineum?

It is first urinary incontinence known as stress, that is to say that intervenes under the effect of the increase of the pressure with among the most classic cases the sneezing, the cough, the splinters of laugh ... Then it is when you have a strong urge to urinate (urge or hyperactive bladder) following a very strong contraction of the bladder and if our muscles are weak we have a leak.

Finally more serious there is also the relaxation of the muscles that cause organ descents or prolapse of the bladder. And to finish the incontinence which can go up to annal incontinence ... Without forgetting the sexual pathology, with two possibilities: the first one of a hyper tonic perineum which causes pain in the reports. The second most common where it is very weak with very unpleasant consequences such as the air noises of the vagina, where the water continues to flow when you come out of the bath. In short, pathologies sometimes very hard to express!

And what are the psychological impacts that you see in your practice?

One-third of women who consult have reached a certain degree of depression or at least malaise. sometimes it is born that they drag their "worry" sometimes with the consequence of big social embarrassment like the fear of going out, of a new romantic relationship ...
Knowing that today 10% of young women under 20 years old - without children - have perineal disorders which is already a lot ... Between 20 and 30% of women suffer from a delivery, and 40% after menopause for those who do not take hormone treatment. Not to mention people aged 80 and over who suffer 60%. Urinary incontinence is said to be a more common pathology than diabetes and high blood pressure.




The impact of incontinence on the sexual life of women?

Yes very clearly as for the 50% of women who have urinary incontinence which also have them in their reports ... it is for them very embarrassing and others suffer from air noises with a too relaxed vagina, which in addition prevents them from having sensations during their report. Their libido is impacted too.

Urinary incontinence arises directly from a weak perineum?

In the majority of cases yes, it is one of the main causes of perineal disorder. But there are other more specific cases.

Is there a deadline to rehabilitate his perineum?

There is no age criterion, it can be done effectively at any age. except a quarter of them who for congenital season will not find efficiency in rehabilitation.




Do women think about rehabilitating their perineum?

Yes thanks to the media like you, the women are well informed and come to the cabinets. To know if your perineum is "good" or not, the gynecologist, even without being a specialist in the perineum, can do a test: if it is not fantastic, he can invite you to do exercises at home as the KIEGEL * method. If it does not work you can do the rehabilitation or take a device at home with a new device that can strengthen the perineum by electrostimulation and therefore treat urinary leakage. The novelty is that these devices "trendy" (device INNOVO ™ **) are without probe.

What can you do at home and what advice do you give?

There are personal exercises that must be done at home where one contracts his vagina and anus every day to strengthen the muscles (KEGEL method). And finally we can learn to make the "anticipated contraction" to prevent a possible leak. But these exercises only work if you have made a good reduction, if you do not have good muscles, you can contract it will not work. Hence the importance of rehabilitation and the machines that make it possible to do it at home.

But this I note in 35 years of work, it is an increasingly weak perineum in women, which I do not really explain. Except that women are very active now, and sometimes do not go after their re-education after giving birth ... they can do it at home.

* KEGEL exercises, so named after Dr. Arnold Kegel, is an exercise designed to strengthen the pubococcygeal muscle.

** INNOVO ™, a totally external device, without probe, designed to strengthen the perineum by electrostimulation and treat urinary leakage. Learn more about lefitnessduperinee.com