No need to be a pad person!

ONE in three women experiences some form of bladder weakness — which makes the condition more common than hay fever.

Yet even though it can seriously affect confidence and emotional well-being, most women don’t seek solutions and resign themselves to a lifetime of pad use.

New research, commissioned by a company specialising in pelvic floor exercisers, reveals that despite the prevalence of bladder weakness, more than 40 per cent don’t tell anyone about their symptoms — they just ‘get on with it’.

In fact, at least a third (36pc) of those questioned have been putting up with urinary incontinence for more than four years. A huge 82pc are ‘coping’ by using pads or incontinence pants or carrying spare underwear with them when out.

More than a quarter (28pc) of women would talk about it more and try to find a solution if they knew it was treatable — however a similar percentage of women do not realise there are solutions for bladder weakness available.

So, what can you do? The answer lies in a group of muscles called the pelvic floor, because lack of tone here is the root cause of bladder weakness.

Celebrity fitness expert, Jane Wake, says, ‘To effectively train a weakened pelvic floor you need to be aiming for around 100 contractions daily. In fact, research shows that doing up to 200 contractions a day can give better results.

‘It is recommended to perform regular pelvic floor exercises. However, research shows that at least 50 per cent of women can’t engage their pelvic floor.

‘For these women, a fast-track solution like an exerciser in the form of wearable shorts (right) — which deliver 180 perfect muscle contractions in 30 minutes and are proven to give long-lasting results noticeable even after just four weeks — is a great alternative.’

The recommended therapeutic period is 12 weeks and clinical studies have demonstrated that 87pc of women were dry or almost dry and symptom-free on completion of the course.