When Dr Jana Pittman first experienced incontinence, she’d just had her first child at age 22 and was returning to the track to run the 400m as an elite athlete.
But because of the taboo associated with the condition, she was embarrassed to share her story, even after winning the World Championships.
It wasn’t until many years later that she finally opened up about her incontinence to a women’s group and realised it was powerful for other women to hear that an elite athlete had struggled with the same thing as them– incontinence can affect anyone, particularly women.
In Australia, around 1 in 4 adult Australians are affected and the Continence Foundation of Australia says women make up 80 per cent of people who report living with incontinence, with many experiencing problems after childbirth and menopause.
With so many affected, Dr Pittman says we need to start talking unashamedly about incontinence to encourage more people to seek help.
“Breaking the stigma surrounding taboo subjects can be difficult, but it is something we as individuals, parents, friends, and colleagues need to work together to replace shame with understanding and empathy,” she says.
An Olympic champion, women’s health expert, author and mother of six children, Dr Pittman is now using her platform to advocate for better awareness and smash the stigma of incontinence.
Read Dr Pittman’s full story below. And subscribe to our Women’s Health News newsletter to get the latest health stories sent to your inbox.
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Can you describe your personal journey with incontinence as a female athlete?
My first experience with incontinence was back when I was an elite athlete. I had my first child when I was 22 and went back to racing before I had retrained my pelvic floor well enough, but it was my job and I didn’t at that stage have the right knowledge. I ran the 400m which is a very difficult race where you must push your body extremely hard to win and I would often have an accident in the final 100m. I didn’t even tell my sports doctor or my coach at the time, just kept it to myself, I was so embarrassed. Before every race, I would go as far as to pour a bottle of water over myself pretending I was hot but knowing that it would cover up the incontinence at the end of the race. I even remember during the victory lap after winning the ‘World Championships’ in front of a huge crowd – I was again incontinent, but nobody noticed! On that day I was the greatest athlete in the world but suffering in silence.
What were some things you personally did to help manage your incontinence in the everyday?
There are exercises that you can do to help strengthen your pelvic floor, such as pelvic floor exercises, and workout routines like Pilates to help strengthen your core and pelvic muscles, however this is not a guaranteed fix for everyone! Sometimes, exercises can only help so much, and you need to see a specialist. In fact, the majority of women don’t do them correctly, so seeing a women’s health physio is always a good idea. In the meantime, it’s always super helpful to have products that subtly help support incontinence. Modibodi is Australia’s original leak-proof brand, and has a great range, called Ultra, which can support full incontinence in both men and women. Its innovative technology offers the highest level of absorbency (250ml) within the Modibodi range, and the floating gusset technology allows for greater air flow and ensures a quicker dry time. This range is exceptionally helpful to those of us who experience or have experienced post-birth incontinence. I was so happy to find Modibodi because I wanted to just be a normal mum running around with my kids. I didn’t want to be worrying about sneezing or coughing, so to have a product that I felt so happy and comfortable in, but also knew that if I had a bit of incontinence no one was going to notice, was the best.
How has going through this experience led you to be an advocate for other women experiencing the condition?
For so many years I didn’t say anything, until a speaking gig around five or six years ago. I was talking to a women’s group when I spoke openly about my experience with incontinence for the first time. A couple of women afterwards came up to me saying how grateful they were that I shared that message. They had watched me win years before and said they had felt bad about themselves because they had stopped exercising due to incontinence, but now were reconsidering. This happened again after the episode of SAS where I experienced postpartum bladder leakage. When the episode aired there was a lot of support and championing of my experience in the media and on Twitter, and so many people were calling for postpartum bodies to be normalised. It’s funny, at the time I was worried I’d get judged for it, but it actually opened a huge conversation around incontinence in women. I must admit I was embarrassed at the time, but for the conversation it stimulated, it was well worth going through it. It has since opened the conversation about how we need to get help with physios, that we shouldn’t be suffering in silence and that there are products like Modibodi leak-proof apparel out there to help.
Why do you feel it’s important to get more Australians speaking openly about incontinence?
We need to talk about incontinence unashamedly! Get help yourself, see a women’s health physio or doctor. Then share your story! By speaking openly, the more women realise how common it is, the more women will seek the help they need.
Considering that incontinence can often be a very lonely and alienating experience, what advice would you give to other women with the condition?
My advice first and foremost is that you should just be open and honest – you’d be surprised at how receptive people are and how many of those around you have shared lived experiences just like yours. All you need to do is gently start the conversation – perhaps discussing your experience with someone you trust and feel comfortable with – and grow your confidence to speak more openly and freely from there. Starting open and honest conversations around taboo topics needs to begin with education and collaboration. Breaking the stigma surrounding taboo subjects can be difficult, but it is something we as individuals, parents, friends, and colleagues need to work together to replace shame with understanding and empathy. For everyday support, it’s always super helpful to have products that are comfortable, subtle and help support incontinence, just like Modibodi. With Modibodi, you’re able to comfortably get on with your day without fear of leaks.