Latest news with #pelvicfloor
Daily Mail
31-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Doctors pinpoint the exact amount of time you should spend on the toilet - break this limit and risk painful health problems
Spending 'too long' sitting on the toilet could be putting people at risk of painful and potentially serious health problems, doctors have warned. While lingering in the bathroom might seem harmless—especially in the age of smartphones and endless scrolling—medical experts warn that more than ten minutes on the loo can trigger a host of health problems. These include haemorrhoids, also known as piles, a weakened pelvic floor—triggering continence issues—and, in extreme cases, lead to a painful condition called rectal prolapse. Haemorrhoids are swollen blood vessels in the back passage that can cause itching, discomfort, bleeding, and a persistent feeling of needing to pass stool. Though often dismissed as minor or embarrassing, haemorrhoids are extremely common—affecting an estimated one in three adults in the UK at some point. And doctors say the increase in prolonged toilet sitting, often coupled with mobile phone use, is quietly contributing to a rise in cases. Dr Lai Xue, a colorectal surgeon at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, said that toilet habits are a key issue when treating patients who present with haemorrhoid symptoms. 'One of the main areas we have to delve into is spending a lot of time on the toilet,' he said in an interview with CNN. 'Nowadays, we're seeing an increase in people passing more time on the toilet, and that is unhealthy for the anorectal organs and the pelvic floor.' According to Dr Xue and others, the act of sitting in a downward-facing posture on the toilet for extended periods places unnecessary pressure on the veins and tissues of the lower rectum. Over time, this can lead to the swelling and inflammation that characterise haemorrhoids. In some cases, the pressure may also contribute to the weakening of muscles that support the rectum and anus, setting the stage for more serious complications. One of these is rectal prolapse, a condition in which the rectum becomes stretched and begins to protrude from the anus. While less common, rectal prolapse is far more serious and often requires surgical intervention. Dr Farah Monzur, director of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center at Stony Brook Medicine in New York, said the problem can occur gradually in people who regularly spend too long on the toilet and who strain when trying to pass a bowel movement. She said that many people underestimate the effect of toilet posture on long-term bowel health. Sitting in the same position for an extended period while distracted—usually by a phone—can encourage people to push harder or for longer than they otherwise would. This, in turn, puts repeated pressure on the anal and pelvic tissues, causing them to stretch, weaken and eventually fail. Although there is no universally agreed 'safe' length of time to spend on the toilet, most gastroenterologists agree that if a bowel movement doesn't happen within five to ten minutes, it's best to get up, move around and try again later. Going for a short walk or gently moving the body can help stimulate bowel motility more naturally, without the need to strain. Dietary habits also play a role. Low-fibre diets, dehydration and a sedentary lifestyle can all contribute to constipation and harder stools, which increase the likelihood of straining. Doctors recommend eating more fibre-rich foods such as fruit, vegetables, beans and whole grains, as well as drinking plenty of water throughout the day. Physical activity, even just light daily movement, can also improve digestion and reduce the chances of constipation. As for technology, both Dr Xue and Dr Monzur agree that keeping phones and reading material out of the bathroom may be one of the simplest and most effective ways to change toilet habits. Dr Monzur said that going to the toilet should be treated as a functional event rather than an opportunity to catch up on emails or social media. 'You don't want to go with the mindset that you'll be there for a long time,' she explained. 'Because then you'll want to bring something to keep your mind occupied, and that's what encourages this extended sitting. 'Make sitting on the toilet as uninteresting as possible.' The NHS lists a number of symptoms that may indicate haemorrhoids, including bleeding after passing stool, mucus discharge, persistent discomfort, and a feeling of incomplete evacuation. In more severe cases, sufferers may notice a lump in or around the anus, which may be tender or cause pain. Rectal prolapse, meanwhile, is often accompanied by a visible bulge from the anus, difficulty controlling bowel movements, and sensations of pressure or fullness in the rectum. While most cases of haemorrhoids can be managed with lifestyle changes, over-the-counter treatments or minor procedures, rectal prolapse typically requires more intensive medical intervention. In both cases, prevention is far preferable to cure. Doctors hope that greater awareness of toilet habits—and how modern lifestyles may be unintentionally worsening them—will encourage people to think twice before settling in for a long scroll in the bathroom.
The Sun
24-05-2025
- Health
- The Sun
I get up to pee almost every hour every night – help! It can't be normal
OUR resident specialist and NHS GP, Dr Zoe Williams, shares her expert advice. Today, Dr Zoe helps a reader who gets up to pee almost every hour every night. 2 Q) I've had a lot of trouble down below, with a prolapse, overactive bladder and bleeding. I go for a wee hourly at night. Can you advise? A) Many people suffer in silence with these types of urogynaecological issues, so thank you for writing in to me. It's very important that women feel they can be open and speak up about issues like this, so often seen as taboo and brushed under the carpet. It really frustrates me when I hear terms such as, 'It's part of being a woman' or even, 'Women's problems . . . ', because it's not normal and there are treatments. There are lifestyle measures that can be advised, such as pelvic-floor training and avoiding things that irritate your bladder – think caffeine, alcohol and fizzy drinks, for example. In addition, there are several medications that can treat an overactive bladder – and alternative treatments, such as pessaries to help support the pelvic organs. In some cases, surgery is deemed the best treatment strategy but of course this is only if it fits with the patient's own wishes. Sometimes it is a case of trying several things to see what works. The 4 best moves to beat incontinence, boost your sex life & flatten your tummy The main message is, please do not suffer in silence or believe this is a normal part of being a woman. Please seek support, advice and treatment from your GP so that you can live with the best quality of life. Are you curious about side effects, whether they could be right for you, or how to best eat while on them? Send me your questions for a Live Q&A on the hot topic. No question is too big, small or silly. Send your questions to health@ What is urinary incontinence? There are several types of urinary incontinence: Stress incontinence: when urine leaks out at times when your bladder is under pressure; for example, when you cough or laugh. Causes include weakening or damage to the muscles used to prevent urination, such as pelvic floor muscles and the urethral sphincter. Urge (urgency) incontinence: when urine leaks as you feel a sudden, intense urge to pee, or soon afterwards. This is usually the result of overactivity of the detrusor muscles, which control the bladder. Overflow incontinence (chronic urinary retention) – when you're unable to fully empty your bladder, which causes frequent leaking. This could be caused by a blockage in your bladder, preventing it from emptying fully. Total incontinence – when your bladder cannot store any urine at all, which causes you to pass urine constantly or have frequent leaking. This could be caused by a problem with the bladder from birth, a spinal injury or a small hole that can form between the bladder and nearby area (fistula). Pregnancy, childbirth, obesity, increasing age (although incontinence is not an inevitable part of aging) and a family history of incontinence.
The Guardian
20-05-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Do you really need to do Kegels? Physicians on five common pelvic floor myths
The pelvic floor is an essential but often overlooked and misunderstood part of the human body. Some people don't even know they have one. 'We're never really taught about it,' says Dr Sara Reardon, a board-certified pelvic floor therapist and author of Floored: A Woman's Guide to Pelvic Floor Health at Every Age and Stage. 'We don't really get any education about how these muscles work and what's normal.' The pelvic floor is 'a basket of muscles that sits at the base of your pelvis', Reardon explains. It supports the pelvic organs: the bowel, bladder, and uterus or prostate. These in turn support the spine, and play an important role in sexual health and urinary and fecal continence. When the pelvic floor is working well, we tend to take it for granted, says Dr Ekene A Enemchukwu, a urogynecologist and director of urology at the Stanford Pelvic Health Center. But when it is not functioning correctly, 'it can significantly impact functionality and quality of life,' she says. Common pelvic floor disorders include urinary or fecal incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, pelvic pain and sexual dysfunction, says Enemchukwu. We asked pelvic health experts what are the biggest myths about the pelvic floor, and how to care for yours. 'Everyone has a pelvic floor – males, females, children,' says Reardon. The three biggest risk factors for developing pelvic floor disorders – pregnancy, birth and menopause – tend to affect women, but pelvic floor disorder is still common in men, says Reardon. Men with pelvic floor disorders can experience urinary incontinence, fecal incontinence, rectal prolapse (from chronic straining or constipation) and pelvic pain from tension in the pelvic floor muscles, says Enemchukwu. Even in people who don't experience pregnancy or childbirth, the stress and strain of everyday life can take its toll on the pelvis, says Dr Cassandra Kisby, a urogynecologist and assistant professor at Duke University hospital. 'The pelvis can respond to our environment, our emotions, our traumas,' she explains. 'We carry stress in our pelvic floor, and that affects its function.' One of the biggest mistakes people make when it comes to their pelvic floor health is not distinguishing between common and normal symptoms, says Kisby. 'Many things that happen to the pelvic floor are common, but don't need to be accepted as the norm,' she says. Pelvic floor issues are extremely common. Urinary leakage, for example, affects roughly 50% of adult women, and 75% of women over the age of 65. An estimated 75% of women will experience pain during intercourse. 'I have women come in and say: 'I have three babies, and I leak sometimes when I sneeze and I have to change my clothes, but that's normal for my age.'' But it doesn't have to be, says Kisby. 'I really urge patients to think about quality of life and what we can do about it because there are treatment options.' Patients often have to advocate for themselves when it comes to pelvic health. 'Physicians aren't screening women for these issues,' says Reardon. Because the pelvic floor affects so many systems in the body, it can also be difficult to know which doctor to ask about it. 'Our medical world is so siloed,' says Reardon. 'There's one doctor who looks at the uterus, one who looks at the colon, one who looks at the bladder – but nobody's looking at the muscles, which is the intersection of all these things.' The people who do look at these muscles are urogynecologists. But according to Kisby, 'many women don't know what a urogynecologist is.' 'We need to find ways to improve awareness, screening and access to multi-disciplinary care,' says Enemchukwu. 'Patients do not need to suffer in silence.' Sign up to Well Actually Practical advice, expert insights and answers to your questions about how to live a good life after newsletter promotion If someone has heard about the pelvic floor, they've probably heard about Kegels. The exercise is buzzy. Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop sells multiple Kegel-related products. Celebrities boast about their Kegel routines. But according to experts, Kegels are not the be all and end all of public health. And for some, they could do more harm than good. Kegels are a pelvic floor exercise in which the muscles of the pelvic floor are contracted. 'It's closing those urinary and anal sphincters and lifting that basket of muscles up,' explains Reardon. The exercise shortens and tightens the muscle. It can be helpful for regaining some strength after childbirth, or to address mild cases of incontinence. But for some, pelvic floor issues are a result of the muscles already being too tight, and Kegels only worsen symptoms. For tension in the pelvis, Reardon recommends working on relaxation: 'more yoga-type stretches, breathing, massaging the muscle internally and externally to release some of that tension', she says. But talk to an expert first. 'Ideally, care should be individualized and guided by a professional,' says Enemchukwu. In some cases, pelvic floor injuries present years after they first occur. 'Many women have a childbirth injury of some degree, and oftentimes it will temporarily get better during the initial healing that our body does,' explains Kisby. But then, patients come back 10 or 20 years later 'when their symptoms start to become more prominent'. Fortunately, it's never too late to start working on pelvic floor health, experts say. 'Some folks feel like if they've experienced something for a long time, they're beyond help,' says Reardon. 'But at any age you can start working on this and you can get improvement.'
Daily Mail
11-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Doctors say EVERY man over 50 should do these daily exercises to boost your sex life and beat frequent urination. Here's EXACTLY how - and the truth about the £13 gadget that promises to solve your bedroom issues
Middle-aged men are being bombarded with social media ads for bizarre-looking exercise machines that makers claim can solve everything from poor bedroom performance to frequent urination. The pop-ups on Facebook and Instagram suggest these 'kegel trainer' devices – which are held between the thighs and squeezed to strengthen the muscles in the pelvis – will make users 'a monster in bed', 'boost testosterone' and 'halt embarrassing leaks'.
