The Pelvic Health Podcast

Female Genital Cutting with Dr Greg Jenkins

We are back for 2024 (better late than never) with an interesting talk about female genital cutting (previously known as FGM - female genital mutilation) with Dr Greg Jenkins.
Today’s episode is a tough but important episode. We discuss female genital cutting previously known as female genital mutilation in Australia. We have had the absolute privilege of talking to Dr Greg Jenkins, who was an OBGYN at Auburn hospital when they were first confronted with women in labour who had immigrated from countries where this cultural tradition continues. They looked around for pregnancy and birth guidelines for this population of women but couldn’t find any, so went about creating them, with some exceptional outcomes for these women.  
 
Dr Jenkins currently heads up Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Westmead Public hospital in Sydney, and works privately at Norwest Private hospital in Sydney. We are very grateful for his time. 
 
https://ranzcog.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Female-Genital-Mutilation-FGM.pdf
 

PCOS and the role of lifestyle interventions with dietitian Dr Stephanie Pirotta

We had a brilliant chat with Dr Stephanie Pirotta about PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) and the role of lifestyle interventions to manage the chronic illness. This episode was meant to be aired before the PB Endo Conference, where Dr Pirotta presented a wonderful talk, however Lori's life was crazy and she just couldn't pull it together and get it out there in time. Apologies! But this episode is such a great listen.
 
Dr Stephanie Pirotta is an accredited Dietician, Nutritionist and Researcher - She has a PhD in PCOS and doing post-doctoral work at Monash University in the space of diet, PCOS, endometriosis and fertility.
 
Stephanie is the founder of Womanly Nutrition and Dietetics in Melbourne.
 
Enjoy!
 
Check out her research here: Publications

Understanding Stillbirth with Heidi Mules

Today’s episode discusses the deeply sensitive topic of stillbirth. We understand that discussing this subject can be distressing or triggering for those who have experienced loss, are currently dealing with pregnancy complications, or are currently pregnant.
In this episode, we chat with a long-time physiotherapy colleague and friend of Lori's, Heidi Mules. She shares her personal story about the birth of her daughter Sophie, risks for stillbirth, better communication during and after pregnancy, and healing. 
You can read more about Heidi's story here
Please use the following resources to help you and others:
Sands - miscarriage, stillbirth and newborn death support
Still Aware - prevention-focused charity
CRE Safer Baby Bundle - for clinicians
Precious Wings - memory boxes
Born Ready
 

The Vagus Nerve with physio Michelle Lyons

What is the vagus nerve? What is the polyvagal theory? Why should we care? Isn't it controversial? The one and only, Michelle Lyons, will answer these questions and sooooo much more on this episode (think: behaviour change for patients, how do we as clinicians avoid burnout, etc).
For those of you who have been listening to this podcast, you will be very familiar with previous episodes on menopause and endometriosis. You will also be familiar with her generosity - and keeping in line with that, she is giving listeners a 20% discount on her online courses until the end of August 2023 - use the code "Phpodcast" !!! 
Michelle's Website and PODCAST
The Pelvic Health Community - JOIN US NOW!
PB Endo Conference 2023
 

In The Clinic: Tips on palpating external urethral sphincter

In The Clinic today with Jo: palpating and cueing EUS (external urethral sphincter).
Don't forget about the upcoming Brisbane Endo conference in October - tickets selling faaaaaast:
PB Endo conference!!!!
And of course checking out The Pelvic Health Community!!!!:
https://the-pelvic-health-community.mn.co/share/M6n01bTZgpvV9J1s?utm_source=manual
 
The paper Jo is discussing:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30870081/
For extra knowledge in this area, you can learn from us here...
Online:
2D Transperineal Ultrasound in Females: A tool for pelvic floor physios
Face-to-face:
2D Transperineal Ultrasound Skills Workshop
2D Transperineal Ultrasound in Females: A tool for pelvic floor physios

The pressure of measuring pelvic floor pressure. How much do we know? With Dr. Jennifer Kruger

This episode welcomes back to the pod, the wonderful Dr. Jennifer Kruger, who was on the podcast in 2018 discussing the vaginal pressure profile and the early work behind JunoFem and the FemFit – the focus on today’s episode.
She is a wealth of knowledge, has a PhD in Sport and Exercise Science, 15 years of clinical experience in nursing and midwifery, and now the CEO and Co-founder of JunoFem – a medtech company on a mission to free women from the stigma of urinary incontinence.
Listen in as we discuss some of her research that led her to design the FemFit in addition to how it works and what it does. A revolutionary little device that is unlike any other.
Links to some things we discuss:
The Pelvic Health Community
Getting the FemFit here from Fiona!
PB Endometriosis Conference in Brisbane
ICS Conference in the T-dot 2023 - join us!!!!
 

In The Clinic:Tips for transperineal ultrasound use for physios

We are adding some new information to The Pelvic Health Podcast. Our expert interviews will continue but in between them, we will now have some shorter episodes on useful clinical ideas for assessment and treatment. 
Today it's the ever-growing interest in transperineal ultrasound and I (Lori) share some tips. 
PB Endo conference!!!!
For extra knowledge in this area, you can learn from us here...
Online:
2D Transperineal Ultrasound in Females: A tool for pelvic floor physios
Face-to-face:
2D Transperineal Ultrasound Skills Workshop
2D Transperineal Ultrasound in Females: A tool for pelvic floor physios

Pelvic floor myth busting with physiotherapist Taryn Hallam

THE Taryn Hallam (physiotherapist, educator and WHTA founder) joins the podcast in this episode to bust some big myths about pelvic floor dysfunction.
Myths she addresses include:
The Oxford scale as a measure of PFM strength
Levator ani muscle function as a major factor in stress urinary incontinence
Detrusor overactivity and overactive bladder as the same thing
Caffeine as a major bladder irritant
 Relaxin as the cause of ligament laxity in pregnancy
Are crunches bad for the pelvic floor?
And more!
For those of you who don't know Taryn Hallam, she is one of the most brilliant women we know. Not only does she run the most comprehensive education on the pelvic floor in Australia through WHTA, she now travels world-wide and online to share this. The annual research updates are insanely popular and not to be missed. (No, this is not an ad or paid).
Hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did.

Physiotherapy: Profession, Pathways, and Avoiding Burnout with OAM Sue Croft

Pelvic floor physiotherapist, and recently awarded Order of Australia Medal, Sue Croft is joining us today to talk about longevity in physiotherapy profession. Given her extensive experience and contribution in this field for over 30 years, who better to talk to about avoiding burnout from our clinical and educational loads.
Sue then turns the mic on me (Lori) to discuss my chosen professional pathway of a PhD, which leads to some great conversations.
Hope you enjoy our chat and below are some resources we discuss:
Sue's books: Pelvic Floor Recovery: Physiotherapy for Gynaecological Repair Surgery, Pelvic Floor Essentials 
Sue's blog: a must read!
WHTA courses
The Physiotherapy Clinic Education - which will be changing names soon
The brilliant Nat McConachie
APA course for pelvic health

Evidence for increased tone or overactivity of pelvic floor muscles in pelvic health conditions: A systematic review with physio Dr Rachel Worman

Join us for the fantastic insight into Dr. Rachel Worman's work trying to disentangle the great web of confusion around pelvic floor muscle tone. 
Rachel has taken a deep dive into all the research looking into high tone/overactive/hypertonic pelvic floor muscles and its relationship with symptoms, and produced for us all a systematic review. She has been working with the team at the University of Queensland, including Ryan Stafford and Paul Hodges, and recently produced this epic piece of brilliance:"Evidence for pelvic floor muscle increased tone/overactivity in pelvic health conditions?: a systematic review”
 
Rachel is a fellow MSK and pelvic health clinician and researcher. She too has been trying to understand the difference in “types of tone” in the pelvic floor muscles and how this relates to symptoms. 
 
Rachel has a Bachelor or Science, Biopsychology, Masters in Physical Therapy, Doctorate in Physical Therapist and current PhD Candidate at the University of Queensland. 
 
We hope this episode helps you get some clarity around pelvic floor muscle activity and tone and how we can better describe, measure, and treat those with issues surrounding greater or increased tone.
 
Thanks for listening. 
 
Lori, Tam and Jo

Vulvability Special Holiday Episode

This is our special holiday episode on vulnerability. One of our fav podcasts, The Imperfects @theimperfectspodcast, do a great segment called “Vulnerabili-tea” and we jumped on this and decided to call ours “Vulva-bility”.
Jo, Tam, and I take you on a vulnerability episode where we answer the following questions:
If you could tell your younger self some advice, what would it be?What do you want to give, create, be, feel, or share?What things in your past have shaped the way you see things now or go about your life?
We also share our own issues with our pelvic floor and how it has shaped some of our clinical work.
I loved this episode. It was fun and insightful and lovely to share.
Please note, they’re a couple swear words so warning before you listen with your kids.
Links:
Lori's online intro transperineal ultrasound course is here
Brisbane transperineal ultrasound workshops here (with Lori)
Sydney transperineal ultrasound workshops here (with The Physiotherapy Clinic)
Put the date in your calendar: Oct 27, 2023 for the PB Endo conference in Brisbane

Impact of heavy resistance training on pregnancy and postpartum health outcomes

Pelvic floor physiotherapist, National level weightlifter, and PhD candidate, Christina Prevett, is here to discuss her recently published journal article titled "Impact of heavy resistance training on pregnancy and postpartum health outcomes", authored by Christina Prevet, Miranda L. Kimber, Lori Forner, Marlize de Vivo, and Margie H. Davenport.
LINK TO READ PAPER HERE: https://rdcu.be/cY0e2
This episode she dives into the paper, heavy weightlifting during pregnancy, what is and should be a "valsalva" for weightlifting, and much more. 
Join us for a great conversation on a much needed topic.
For more on Christina:
https://thebarbellmamas.com/
https://www.staveoff.ca/about/
https://twitter.com/c_prevett?lang=en
https://www.instagram.com/christina_prevett/?hl=en
 
 
 

Olympic athletes can train during pregnancy and return to sport as a mother with Eloise Wellings

We are incredibly honoured and privileged to have had the opportunity to chat with Eloise Wellings, who generously shares her incredible story of triumphs and set-backs. Eloise’s story has examples of all health issues facing female athletes, from eating disorders, menstrual dysfunction and RED-s, to pregnancy and exercise and returning to sport post partum.
 
Eloise Wellings is one of Australia’s most inspiring female athletes. She has been running since she was 10 years old, followed her dreams and competed for Australia in 2 Olympic Games in middle distance running. Eloise has also competed in multiple Commonwealth Games, most recently placing 4th in the marathon in Birmingham. You can learn more about Eloise on her website https://www.eloisewellings.com.au
 
Eloise has also become a sound mentor for younger runners, and as part of helping them thrive has teamed up with mental skills coach Rory Darkins in their very own podcast “Whats right within” - we highly recommend the episode on How to Optimise Stress and Recovery. 
 
To impress you even more, and keep everything in perspective,  Eloise is co-founder of the Love Mercy Foundation. The foundation exists to empower communities in Northern Uganda to overcome poverty. 
 
We hope you enjoy listening to this podcast as much as we did interviewing Eloise. 
 
For those who would like more information on the modules the AIS have produced to help women understand RED-s, and much much more, Here is the link 
https://www.ais.gov.au/fphi/education

Effect of pelvic floor symptoms on exercise participation in females

You will love listening to Jodie Dakic, an amazing physiotherapy clinician and researcher. Her clinical experience in elite sport is inspiring, not to mention she has almost finished her PHD investigating pelvic floor symptoms, sport and exercise. 
Jodie lectures at Monash University in the department of physiotherapy, she co-directs the curriculum of physiotherapy program and women's and men's pelvic health stream.
 
Jodie spent 14 years with Women’s Tennis Association, travelling around the world with the elite athletes, currently they are lucky to have her as a research consultant. Jodie has also worked with Australian junior softball team and the Victoria softball teams. Jodie now works clinically fusing her sports and pelvic health knowledge.
 
Jodie has combined her extensive clinical experience in elite female sport  and pelvic health physiotherapy, to devise her research questions regarding the impact of pelvic health conditions on women participating in sport and exercise.
 
Jodie shares her insights from her extensive research in this area. Statistics we all need to know! Jodie is on a mission to solve the pelvic health problems limiting females exercising. 
 
Links to research 
 
https://www.jospt.org/doi/full/10.2519/jospt.2021.10200
 
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S144024402100147X

Endometriosis: research on self-management strategies

Amelia "Millie" Mardon is a full time PHD student at The University of South Australia working to improve our understanding of persistent pelvic pain. Millie and her amazing colleagues have published a systematic review of the efficacy of self management strategies for females with endometriosis, and more recently a systematic review on the treatment recommendations for the management of persistent pelvic pain. She shares with us the insights she has learnt from her research, and how we can benefit from these as clinicians. She has a vision to write an “Explain Pain” style book for women with persistent pelvic pain - which we wait for excitedly. We loved talking to Millie and we hope you enjoy the show. 
Jo, Tam, and Lori
 
Other links:
"The accessibility of physiotherapy for adolescents with persistent pelvic pain: a qualitative study", Mardon et al PDF
"Persistent pelvic pain – what do the guidelines recommend?" Blog with Millie Mardon and Hayley Leake (who should know who she is if you live in Australia 🤣)
Pain Adelaide - link not working for 2022 yet! So this one is 2019
 
Thanks to our episode sponsor, the lovely team at
Empowered Motherhood Program
 

Elite athletes: the latest research on pregnancy and postpartum

Dr Margie Davenport is an Associate Professor at The University of Alberta where her areas of research including investigating the maternal-fetal transmission of chronic disease and exploring the role of exercise in pregnancy as a preventative strategy in the development of chronic disease. Margie and her team are sure shaking up our thoughts on type and intensity of exercise in pregnancy and reframing our mindset from "can exercise in pregnancy be harmful?" to - "Not participating in exercise in pregnancy IS harmful".
Todays’ episode, she joins us to discuss the new exercises guidelines in pregnancy and how they were developed. In addition, Margie shares with us the findings of her new qualitative research on the experiences of pregnancy and motherhood for Elite Female Athletes.
 
We had a great time talking to Margie and we hope you enjoy the episode. 
 
Thank you to our episode sponsor: Empowered Motherhood Program
 
You can learn more about Margie and links we discuss:
The Get Active Questionnaire for Pregnancy https://csep.ca/2021/05/27/get-active-questionnaire-for-pregnancy/  - (For fellow nerds, this is how it was developed. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35442812/)
 
Margie's research (Google scholar link)
Website: www.exerciseandpregnancy.caFacebook: Program for Pregnancy and Postpartum Health Twitter: @ExercisePregInstagram: @exerciseandpregnancyYouTube: Program for Pregnancy and Postpartum Health