How Childbirth Leaves Women Suffering Incontinence for Decades
Heather Barnes endured decades of suffering after a traumatic forceps delivery during the birth of her first child. Initially, medics reassured her that the backache, numbness, and incontinence she experienced were normal and would soon improve.
“But it didn’t,” says Heather, from Tunbridge Wells. “Months passed and I still felt numb. Going to the loo was awful, I couldn’t walk properly and I also had back pain.”
It took Heather many years to uncover the full extent of the childbirth injuries. She had a severe tear around her perineal area—the region between the vagina and anus—and had suffered pudendal nerve entrapment. This condition involves compression and damage to the pudendal nerve, which controls sensation in the genital area and bladder and bowel function.
The damage often causes intense pelvic pain and, in some cases, loss of bladder and bowel control. Heather was finally diagnosed 40 years after giving birth, after which she learned that treatment was possible.
“By the time Heather was diagnosed – 40 years after giving birth – her life had long been changed.”
Heather’s story highlights the long-term impact childbirth can have on women’s pelvic health and the importance of timely diagnosis and treatment.
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