[POLL] Are You Taking Proper Care Of Yourself?

A number of women we know make all their critical doctor’s appointments during the same week every year. That way, they don’t worry about forgetting any of them. “Time passes so quickly nowadays that one year I completely neglected to see the dermatologist,” a FOFriend told us.

Please take a couple of minutes to answer the health poll below, and we’ll report back on how you compare with other members of the FabOverFifty community when it comes to taking care of yourself. (more…)

Get Your Kegel Muscles Back In Shape

It may be time for you to start exercising down there. Join FabOverFifty in the #Kegelface campaign, sponsored by PeriCoach, so we can all work together to strengthen super important muscles that many of us ignore.

We want to do everything we can to feel and look our best, yet many of us aren’t paying attention to one crucial component to good health, and we aren’t even aware what it is!

Life events, including childbirth and menopause, can thin vaginal tissue and cause our pelvic floor muscles to weaken. This can result in bladder leakage during routine activities like exercise, or even just laughing.

Chances are, you’ve heard of Kegel exercises, which involve clenching and releasing movements of the pelvic floor muscles and tissues, to strengthen them and guard against bladder leaks. If you’ve tried these exercises, however, you may have given up because you weren’t sure if you were doing them properly or having a hard time sticking to an exercise schedule. (more…)

Do You Feel THIS Coming On?

Have you recently experienced at least one of these “unfortunate’” situations?

1. You’re on the second date with a new man who has a wicked sense of humor.  He tells a story that really tickles your funny bone, but the moment you start laughing you feel a leak coming on!

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2. You’re finally able to do a set of 10 push ups, thanks to your new trainer, but when you reach #6, you feel a leak coming on!
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[ANONYMOUS POLL] Are You The Boss of Your Bladder?

Nearly 18 million women leak when they laugh, sneeze, run or jump. If you’re one of them, please tell us how you control and manage the situation, by taking our anonymous poll.

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Take The Guesswork Out Of Kegels

This post is sponsored by PeriCoach, a new way to take control of bladder leakage. Follow PeriCoach on Facebook and Twitter!

Nearly 18 million women leak when they laugh, sneeze, run or jump. Are you one of them?

image1Childbirth, menopause, and other life events, can thin out your vaginal tissue and weaken your pelvic floor muscles, as well as the ligaments which help support the bladder.

These weakened structures can cause the bladder to shift downward, and prevent the urethra from closing properly, resulting in urine leakage during moments of physical stress like coughing, laughing, jumping, lifting or running.

Although the American College of Physicians recommends pelvic floor muscle training (Kegel exercises) as a first-line treatment for bladder leakage, 50 percent of women who try these exercises do not contract their muscles correctly, and give up. Instead, they’ll often turn to pads to “fix” the problem.circle

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Isn’t It Time You Controlled THIS Urge?

URGE (noun): A strong desire or impulse; need; wish

Life would be pretty boring if we didn’t have urges. We’d no longer dash to the supermarket, right before it closes, for a pint of mint chocolate chip ice cream, or book a trip to Paris on the spur of the moment. And sex wouldn’t be much fun, would it?

We sure can live without certain urges, however, such as the sudden urge to pee, especially if we’re having a hard time “holding it in.” Instead of motivating us, urinary urges can literally stop us in our tracks. If you have them, like I do, you’re far from alone: Half of all women in the U.S. will experience some type of bladder dysfunction in their lifetimes, according to the Agency of Healthcare Research and Quality Review.

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Show Your Little Leaks That You’re The Big Boss

This post is brought to you by Wearever Incontinence Panties.

We all know a decreasing level of estrogen triggers menopause, and if we’re one of the lucky women, we go through this physical transition with hardly a symptom.

But many of us aren’t so lucky, and we feel like we’re being attacked on all sides: Hot flashes making our hair look like we just washed it; dryer skin; vaginal pain as the tissue thins (why can’t our bellies get thin, instead?). Since estrogen helps to keep the lining of the bladder and urethra healthy, deterioration of these tissues can cause a condition called stress incontinence, also called LBL (Light Bladder Leakage). Pre-existing genetic conditions, as well as childbirth or a hysterectomy, also can cause our pelvic floor muscles to weaken, which affects bladder control.

About 30 percent of all women—of all ages—experience LBL. A big sneeze can cause a little leak. So can exercise and coffee. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to improve or help reverse the condition:

Stop smoking. Smoking is a contributing factor for bladder leakage during menopause, not to mention lung cancer. Either way you look at it, smoking is a big, big mistake.

Treat a chronic cough. This can cause ongoing pressure on the pelvic floor and, over time, can weaken it.

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Are Health Issues Getting In Your Way?

This blog post is sponsored by MSD Consumer Care, Inc., the makers of Oxytrol® For Women.

According to a MORE magazine reader panel of 1,857 women 50 and over, 97% of women say that in a perfect world, they would reinvent themselves in the near future.

Are you one of them?

If you are, make sure health issues aren’t stopping you. Overactive bladder, for instance, affects 20 million women in the U.S., and may also affect a woman’s ability to open a new door in her life.

OAB is characterized by a number of symptoms that can be physically burdensome and emotionally draining, including a strong urge to urinate right away and the need to urinate more often than usual (eight or more times a day), with or without leakage.

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Are You In The 60%?

Our mothers and grandmothers kept “it” a deep, dark secret. Once they got “it,” they usually had to restrict their activities and they were just plain embarrassed. There wasn’t a whole lot they could do about “it,” either.

“It” was just a dirty word.

“It” is bladder leakage and almost 60 percent of us over 50 have “it” today. It’s just one of those yicky facts of life. Fortunately, this common condition no longer has to stop active and social men and women from doing every single thing they love. The boomer generation never liked sitting on the sidelines and 60 percent of them weren’t going to let something like bladder leakage keep them down.

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Help Manage Your Overactive Bladder Symptoms!

This is a blog post created by FabOverFifty.com which has been sponsored by
MSD Consumer Care, Inc. the makers of OXYTROL® FOR WOMEN

Have you ever thought to yourself, “Wow, I sure use the bathroom more than I used to!” or “Why do I keep having accidents?” You may be one of the more than 20 million women suffering from overactive bladder (OAB) in the U.S. if you have 2 of the 3 symptoms such as a strong need to urinate right away, frequent urination or experiencing “accidents” for at least 3 months.

“The exact cause of OAB is unknown, but it does increase in prevalence with age. However, women should know that OAB is not a normal part of aging and it can be treated, by providing symptom relief, improving quality of life,” says Dr. Eman Elkadry, Clinical Instructor Harvard Medical School; Boston Urogynecology Associates at Mount Auburn Hospital and spokesperson for the makers of OXYTROL® FOR WOMEN. We’re delighted to let you know that OAB is treatable over-the-counter as a result of the availability of OXYTROL® FOR WOMEN.

Is OAB the same thing as stress urinary incontinence (SUI)?

No. “OAB occurs due to contractions of the bladder muscle, leading to bladder emptying before it is full. This may cause urinary frequency (more than is perceived to be normal by a woman), urgency (a sudden urge to go to the bathroom that cannot be put off), and/or accidents,” Dr. Elkadry explains. “On the other hand, a woman with SUI has weakening of the pelvic floor muscles and other muscles responsible for preventing urine leakage. Thus, increased pressure on the abdomen (like laughing, coughing, sneezing, exercising), the bladder then ‘leaks’ a little because the muscles are weak.”

If you’re interested in trying OXYTROL® FOR WOMEN, it’s a simple patch application to your abdomen, hip or buttock. Pretty easy, right?

“The OXYTROL® FOR WOMEN patch delivers oxybutynin for four days and nights to help relax the bladder muscle that is overactive. With a four-day patch, women don’t have to remember to take a daily pill,” says Dr. Elkadry.

You will have greater success on the patch if you use consistently and also modify your lifestyle—try to increase the time between bathroom visits to help re-train your bladder. You may also want to limit your intake of certain foods and drinks like coffee, citrus fruits and spicy foods—they can all make OAB worse.

The solution is in the feminine care aisle— now let’s all take a sigh of relief.

Visit OxytrolForWomen.com to learn more.

If you’ve had a positive experience using OXYTROL ® FOR WOMEN, as directed,
and would be interested in sharing your story with the media please contact: OxytrolForWomen@mahercomm.com. You can also submit your success story on OxytrolForWomen.com to share your testimonial with other women like you.