“Given the right information, the right tools, and the right support, most women
can take charge of their bodies and improve bladder control on their own”, Michel
A. Boileau, M.D., F.A.C.S.,board certified urologist and designer of The Myself®
Trainer
It’s an issue many women are hesitant to talk about, even with their doctor. They
feel it’s just them, they feel embarrassed, they feel alone. Seeing measurable,
positive results is very motivating. Women using The Myself®
Trainer have reported dramatic results that can be life changing. A strengthened
pelvic floor may help a woman to feel more confident and resume a lifestyle with
more activity, socializing, travel and freedom. Her life is her own, again. Clearly
urinary incontinence and its impact is an important issue. It’s something all healthcare
professionals should be discussing with their female patients. Here’s some information
that may help.
ABOUT URINARY INCONTINENCE BACK TO TOP^
Urinary incontinence affects 24 million American women, young and older. However,
many of these women don’t consider themselves incontinent. They have “leaks” and
“accidents”. The truth is that women of all ages may have urine leakage.
Most common causes for incontinence:
Many conditions may cause urinary incontinence in your patients, including, but
not limited to weak pelvic floor muscles. When pelvic floor muscles are weak, the
system of pelvic organs may not work the way they were intended due to lack of sufficient
support. Bladder control is particularly affected. Factors that can cause pelvic
floor muscle weakness include:
- pregnancy and delivery
- frequent constipation
- hysterectomy
- menopause
- physically stressful activities/exercises such as lifting, running or jumping
- obesity
- chronic cough
Types of incontinence:
What follows are the three of the basic types of urinary incontinence:
1. Stress Incontinence: Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) occurs because
of weak pelvic floor muscles and/or a deficient urethral sphincter, causing the
bladder to leak during exercise, coughing, sneezing, laughing, strenuous or high
impact exercise or potentially any body movement which puts pressure on the bladder.
When pelvic and sphincter muscles are strong, they can handle the extra pressure
from a cough, sneeze, exercise, or laugh. But when those muscles are weak, that
sudden pressure can push urine out of the bladder.1
2. Urge Incontinence: Characterized by an excessive or sudden urge to urinate
and can occur as often as every 45 minutes. It is more prevalent in post-menopausal
patients but is known to afflict younger women, as well.
An overactive bladder may result in urge incontinence. With urge incontinence,
the person receives a strong message to void, but cannot make it to the bathroom
in time to avoid leaking. In many cases, a person may have both urge and stress
incontinence. In this case a weakened sphincter mechanism is overcome by a sudden
bladder contraction resulting in urine leakage.
Overactive bladder is a condition that involves sudden, involuntary contractions
of the bladder creating a sudden urge to go. Feelings of urgency may come in association
with certain situations such as being nervous before an appointment; hearing, seeing
or touching water; or arriving home and knowing a toilet is near. Bladder irritants,
such as coffee can also contribute to urgency.
Frequency is another common result of an overactive bladder. Frequency result when
feelings of urgency lead to trips to the bathroom 20-30 times a day and/or getting
up multiple times at night
3. Mixed Incontinence: Mixed incontinence is the most common and occurs when
symptoms of both stress and urge types of incontinence are present. Symptoms of
one type of incontinence may be more severe than the other.
BENEFITS OF STRONG PELVIC FLOOR MUSCLES BACK TO TOP^
Strong pelvic floor muscles are critical to the health of the pelvic region. These
muscles span the pelvis, supporting the pelvic organs and providing passage for
the openings from the bladder, urethra and rectum.
Without resistance exercise, these muscles are likely to atrophy. Experts conclude
that, because of this gradual degeneration, pelvic floor muscles can lose 80% of
their strength by the time a woman is 65, however this process can begin as early
as the late teens.2
This atrophy may lead to the types of urinary incontinence detailed above as well
as prolapse of the pelvic organs.
Strong pelvic muscles help reduce or eliminate bladder leaks and accidents, improve
symptoms of frequent urges, prevent pelvic organ relaxation, ease pregnancy recovery
and menopause and enhance vaginal tone and sexual response.
KEGELS ALONE MAY NOT BE ENOUGH BACK TO TOP^
First advocated by Dr. Arnold Kegel in 1948 for the restoration of the perineal
muscles, “Kegel” exercises, or progressive resistance exercises, are now recommended
for women with stress, urge and mixed incontinence.3
Dr. Kegel developed a vaginal balloon perineometer to teach pelvic muscle exercises.
Unfortunately, clinicians taught Kegel exercises without the use of instrumentation.
It has been shown that verbal or written instructions alone are often inadequate
and that up to 50% of patients perform Kegel exercises incorrectly. There is a strong
tendency to substitute abdominal and gluteal contractions for weak pelvic floor
muscles.3
They often don’t perform the exercises long enough or often enough. Uncertain whether
they are executing the exercises correctly, they often discontinue their regimen.3
That's why our clinicians and designers built upon the treatment used by healthcare
professionals to treat pelvic floor weakness to create The Myself®
Trainer, a simple, clinically studied and effective solution that women can use
successfully on their own.
THE MYSELF® TRAINER, A REAL SOLUTIONBACK TO TOP^
“Urge incontinence is often addressed pharmacologically; while stress incontinence
is addressed surgically. However both courses of treatment are not without their
potential problems. Pharmacological treatments do not eliminate the root cause of
urinary incontinence, weakened pelvic floor muscles. All medications used for treatment
of urge incontinence carry the potential side effects of dry mouth, constipation,
and possible CNS effects. Any surgical approach for patients with stress incontinence
carries potential risks as well. The Myself® Trainer has none of these risks.” Mary
Jane Minkin, M.D., board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist in private practice
in New Haven, Connecticut, and a Clinical Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and
Reproductive Sciences at Yale University School of Medicine.
Clearly, using pads, or even diapers does nothing to deal with the gradual loss
of pelvic muscle control or to improve the underlying issue of muscle weakness.
Conversely, The Myself® Trainer is a real solution that has
been clinically shown to effectively strengthen pelvic floor muscles, with a 5-minute,
daily course of treatment. It is designed by a urologist and FDA-cleared. And it
has not been associated with any side effects.
Combining a hand-held biofeedback monitor with a pneumatic vaginal sensor, The
Myself® Trainer helps patients identify the correct muscle
group and guides them through a preset, clinically studied exercise protocol of
both long and short contraction exercises.
The long contractions ameliorate the holding ability of the muscles, which aids
in holding urine. The short contractions train muscles to quickly stop urine flow.
The Myself® Trainer provides immediate feedback of muscle
contraction strength. Patients are instructed to keep a daily log of strength levels,
which assists both the doctor/nurse and the patient in assessing progress.
In a recent survey of women who used The Myself® Trainer,
a majority reported that it improved the quality of their lives in a variety of
ways, from a significant decrease in leakage to an improved sex life, speeds pregnancy
recovery and eases menopause symptoms.
Safe and Effective.
The
Myself® Trainer is clinically shown to be safe and effective in dramatically
decreasing incontinence issues. It can help treat stress, urge and/or mixed incontinence
in women of all ages.
In a clinical study of women 25 – 81 with bladder control problems using The
Myself® Trainer
- 100% of the women reported improved symptoms
- 79% said they were either symptom-free or had more than a 50% reduction in symptoms
For more information see Research Support
INCORPORATING THE MYSELF® TRAINER INTO YOUR PRACTICEBACK TO TOP^
“To most clinicians, it would make sense to approach any patient with significant
incontinence with a non-invasive strategy.” - Mary Jane Minkin, M.D.
Used as a first line of treatment, The Myself® Trainer can
help you help your patients. The first step would be to evaluate the patient’s level
of incontinence by clinically assessing her pelvic muscle strength during an annual
or regular visit. It is also recommended to record the patient’s weight and, if
she is overweight, counsel her on weight loss.
If appropriate, recommend The Myself® Trainer and ask the
patient to complete the accompanying progress diary (included with the product).
You may then want to schedule a follow-up visit in 4 – 6 weeks to assess progress
and reevaluate her muscle strength. Reweigh overweight patients and continue to
counsel on weight loss management to aid in improving her urinary incontinence and
overall health.
Continue to reevaluate the patient every 4 – 6 weeks, until she reaches her pelvic
muscle strength goal or an acceptable level of bladder control improvement. At that
point, you may want to schedule evaluations at 6-month intervals to assure that
her strength is maintained.
“Patient satisfaction is the key to their results. Remember, not all patients have
to be 100% dry to be happy — there is a great deal of literature about how incontinence
affects lifestyle. And if a woman goes from using an adult diaper to a light pad,
she may be thrilled and may not want to go to a surgical intervention.” Mary Jane
Minkin, M.D., board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist and Clinical Professor of
Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at Yale University School of Medicine.
What Women Are Saying
Women are talking about how The Myself® Trainer has improved the quality of their lives.
Click here to see what they have to say.
What Experts Are Saying
Hear why healthcare professionals are recommending The Myself® Trainer.
Click here to learn more.
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1 (The National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse) (NKUDIC)
What I Need To Know About Bladder Control For Women, (August 2007, page 1) available
at www.kidney.niddk.nih.gov
The National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse (NKUDIC)is a
service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
(NIDDK).
2 Asp, K. (2001, July). Strengthening Pelvic Floor Muscles. American Fitness
3 G. Willy Davila, Gamal M. Ghoniem and Steven D. Wexner (Eds.). (2008). Pelvic
Floor Dysfunction A Multidisciplinary Approach. London: Springer.
4 Smith et al. A Self-directed Home Biofeedback System for You with Symptoms of
Stress, Urge and Mixed Incontinence. Journal of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing.
2000; 27: 239-246.
Your results may vary, based on individual health conditions and consistency of
use.
Dr. Mary Jane Minkin receives compensation for her participation in communications
regarding The Myself® Trainer.
The information provided on this website should not be used as a substitute for
professional medical advice and care. The information provided here is for educational
and informational purposes only. If you have specific needs, please consult your
professional health care provider.