Hello. I am a new member to the community. I am in my 50's, a former therapist who was involved in clinical research but I transitioned to clinical research full time 3 years ago. My research focus was chronic spinal disability, muscle cramps and night leg cramps until now.
Briefly, I suffered from stress urinary incontinence after childbearing but then it was pretty resolved until I started the transition to menopause, but still not enough to find it problematic. In late 2015 I had a horrible bout with pneumonia following the flu (even fractured ribs due to the severe coughing) that required use of urinary pads, and then I knew I had to do something about it. As a therapist, I knew about kegels going back to the 80's and how important they are and how effective they can be. In asking many women I know between 30-80+ I was surprised to learn how many have had issues not fully resolved with kegel exercises. I learned that many people, even those who went through pelvic floor rehab with PTs, still have some incontinence. I hadn't realized that this is a silent epidemic with so much suffering by both men and women until recently. Of course you all know this, but I hadn't.
A research colleague introduced me to a now retired urogynecologist that recently moved to Boston, and he has a FDA-approved device now being studied at Mass General Hospital. Because of my interest in SUI and that of the physician I work with, we will be running a study in Cambridge, MA, beginning next month, that will run through late May focused on efficacy of this intravaginal biofeedback and training device. I'll be happy to share highlights of what I learn from the women's self-reports from using the leva device twice daily for 2 1/2 minutes. I also hope to learn from those of you on this board about your experiences, challenges and frustrations.
Thanks for having me here.
