The below information is taken from http://themummymot.com/ in which they provide 12 statistics explaining what women should be aware of following childbirth…
• 50% of women experience pelvic organ prolapse with symptoms of bladder and bowel dysfunction. (Hagen et al 2004)
• 50% of women who have had children have some degree of symptomatic or asymptomatic pelvic organ prolapse. (Hagen & Stark 2011)
• In women with vaginal prolapse, 63% will experience urinary stress incontinence. (Bai et al 2002)
• Urinary incontinence during pregnancy nearly doubles the likelihood of urinary incontinence at three months post baby (regardless of delivery method, so Caesarean section or vaginal). (Eason et al 2004)
• Women who are incontinent before pregnancy are 5 times more likely to leak after birth than women who are continent before pregnancy. (Sampselle et al 1998)
• 52% of women with lower back pain during pregnancy were found to have pelvic floor dysfunction (Study by Pool-Goudzwaard et al 2005)
• A study of 1004 women with pelvic organ prolapse showed that straining on the loo is associated with anterior vaginal wall and perineal descent. (Kahn MA 2005)
• 52% of women with a pelvic floor dysfunction (stress urinary incontinence or pelvic organ prolapse) have a Diastasis Rectus Abdominis. (Spitznagle et al 2007)
• 66% of women with a diastasis recti abdominis have a pelvic floor support dysfunction (stress urinary incontinence or pelvic organ prolapse) (Spitznagle et al 2007)
• 45% have urinary incontinence 7 years post-natally. (Wilson et al 2002)
• 36% have rectus diastasis abdominis 8 weeks after delivery. (Boissonnault 1988)
• Prevalence of stress or urge incontinence and intravaginal prolapse was 42% in women with one or more vaginal deliveries as opposed to 35% in women who had a C-section delivery. (Sakala 2006)
Three top statistics on why woman should have post-natal rehabilitation is outlined below and also derived from http://themummymot.com/
• Training post birth after experiencing pelvic girdle pain in pregnancy using a specific stabilisation exercise programme, results showed significant reduction in pain and 50% reduction in disability. This tells us that specific stability exercises are useful for reducing pelvic girdle pain after pregnancy. (Stuge et al 2004)
• Retraining muscle after injury is essential as inhibited muscle does not automatically reactivate and retrain. (Stener & Petersen 1962)
• A survey of 115 postnatal women found that after 8 weeks the gap between the rectus muscle – the inter recti distance or recti diastasis – will not change without intervention. (Coldron 2008).