Endometriosis-related pain levels are not always related to the extent of endometrial lesions. For many people, pain may not be relieved after removing the endometriosis through surgery, or hormonal treatment to suppress menstruation. Changes to the nervous system (brain, spinal cord and nerves) is one way to understand why some people don’t respond to current methods to treat their endometriosis-related pain.

The inspiration for this piece is from one of our favourite books, “Come As You Are”, by Dr Emily Nagoski. Dr Nagoski has pulled together 10 years of research into women’s sexuality, and shares an essential exploration on how female arousal, desire, autonomy, pleasure and orgasm works, and provides tools for women to create and sustain a fulfilling sex life.

A condition we often see in men and women is shy bladder syndrome (aka paruresis), a term used to describe people who find it difficult or impossible to urinate near other people. This is quite a common social phobia, secondary only to the fear of public speaking. It often begins at school, and symptoms can vary in different situations – eg. going to a public toilet where there are others around (ie school, restaurant, the MCG!) can be quite challenging for people with this condition!

In Australia, 1.34 million men and boys live with incontinence. A national health campaign is set to improve their social and economic participation and quality of life – but it needs support. BINS4Blokes is an Australia-wide awareness campaign advocating for the installation of incontinence bins in male public toilet facilities. The campaign is an initiative of the not-for-profit Continence Foundation of Australia, Australia’s peak body in promoting bladder and bowel health.

Bladder leakage is an unfortunate side effect of surgery for prostate cancer. At WMHP we are passionate about helping men regain bladder control after surgery, and also in teaching other health professionals how to best manage this condition.

Bladder leakage is a significant problem for Australian women and is an issue that needs to be taken more seriously. There are over 5 million Australians who experience bladder leakage and 80% of these are women. The physical, emotional and social impact that this can have on a woman’s life cannot be underestimated. Whilst bladder leakage is very common, it is also very treatable - pelvic floor muscle training is the number one recommended treatment world-wide.

Good sleep is hard to come by during this pandemic. The challenges of working from home, juggling home schooling or young children not attending care, missing friends and family, and increased stress, worry or financial uncertainty can all contribute to keeping you awake. Unfortunately, not getting enough sleep has a big impact on our mental and physical health. This article shares our top “sleep hygiene” tips to help ensure you have a more restful night’s sleep.

Prolapse can be a bit of a scary word. Women have often heard horror stories from their mothers, aunties or friends. However, having a prolapse isn’t actually that scary. It’s also very common – 1 in 2 women who have had a baby have one. Want to know the good news? Prolapse is very treatable, and pelvic floor exercises are the number one treatment recommended for prolapse worldwide.

Did you know that carrying a few extra kilo’s around your stomach can affect your bladder control? Unfortunately, the lifestyle changes associated with being at home more during COVID-19 have led to some people gaining extra weight. In this article we outline how weight gain and bladder control are related, and what you can do about it.