An Okotoks physiotherapist is getting to the bottom of some common misconceptions regarding women’s health during a week dedicated to ladies.
Finishline Physiotherapy owner Leona Ham will host the webinar Pelvic Floor Dysfunction in Women May 12 at 7 p.m. during the inaugural Women’s Health Week in Alberta to debunk common misconceptions that a leaky bladder and painful intercourse are just part of being female.
“My clients often tell me, ‘I thought it was because I was getting old and that’s part of aging’ or ‘My doctor just told me you had four kids and you just have to live with the fact that you’re going to pee your pants’ or ‘You have pain with intercourse because you’ve had so many children,’” said Ham. “A lot of people lost hope because everybody is like this is the way it’s going to be.”
Women’s Health Week was spearheaded by the Women’s Health Coalition, an Alberta registered charitable organization consisting of health professionals. The coalition received approval by the Province last month to host the week May 8-15.
Anchored by Mother’s Day, the event raises awareness and increases understanding and engagement through information sharing, webinars and personal experiences to create open discussions about menstruation, STIs, and reproductive, menopausal and sexual health.
Ham, a certified pelvic floor and sports physiotherapist with the Active Balance Health Centre, received an email from a colleague about the event last month and was keen to offer her expertise on a rarely-discussed topic.
“I see the struggles that women go through - that’s what brought me into public floor physiotherapy,” she said. “I went through child bearing and had issues with bladder control. I’m someone who is extremely active and physical activity is a huge part of me. It was really interfering with my ability to do those things because I was essentially peeing my pants.”
Ham said Women’s Health Week gives health professionals a bigger platform to get critical information out to women.
“I find that the pelvic floor is something that people take for granted and that some people think they know what it is but they’re really not well educated on it, including labour and delivery nurses,” she said. “I know that because I’ve treated them as patients.”
The May 12 presentation will explore the anatomy of the pelvic floor and its functions, common symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction and what causes pelvic floor issues. Ham will offer solutions to common symptoms and conditions.
Since establishing Finishline Physiotherapy in 2013, Ham has treated men and women with pelvic floor issues. In addition to obtaining her bachelor of science in physiotherapy in 2002, Ham has enrolled in various courses and seminars relating to women’s health and pelvic health and offers education to the community through presentations at the Okotoks Public Library annually.
“Recently I saw someone who had bowel cancer and went through radiation and chemo and, as a result, they have problems with control of their bowel and bladder,” she said. “I’ve seen women that are in menopause that have all of these different types of symptoms that affect their enjoyment of sexual intercourse, and then I see moms that have various pain issues after having their babies that’s related to the scars because of their delivery.”
Carmen Wyton, chair of the Women’s Health Coalition, said getting health professionals like Ham to educate the public is what Women’s Health Week is all about.
“Our mission is to create a movement to encourage people to speak openly and learn and engage with purpose on menstrual, reproductive and sexual health,” she said.
Women’s health concerns are too often dismissed by health professionals, Wyton said, adding that women need to ask more questions and dig deeper.
“There is that overwhelming sense that if a doctor says something it must be so, and so as a patient you just walk away and go, ‘Okay well if he says nothing is wrong there must be nothing wrong,” she said. “Women’s Health Week is to raise awareness first among women and people who care about women to get them to take more authority over their health experience when dealing with gynecological conditions.
"When they go to the doctor, if the doctor says it’s normal, they have to challenge them on that.”
Through sharing stories, Wyton said the coalition will bring the health-care community, health influencers and government together to determine where improvements can be made for women in the health-care system.
“By the work of the Women’s Health Coalition - raising awareness and getting the government to embrace not just public institutions but the private sector as well that’s supporting women’s health – it will be easier for women to navigate the health system, find support when they need it and for better health outcomes, but it starts with being able to talk about it with more authority, boldness and openness," she said.
Click here to learn more about Women’s Health Week. To register with Getting to the Bottom of Pelvic Floor Dysfunction click here. Admission is by donation, which will support the Rowan House Society.
