Tying up Season 5 of AYC the Podcast is Dr. Christina Prevett PT, PhD.

Dr Prevett is a clinical researcher who focuses on strength training in both pregnantand aging populations. She is also lead faculty at the Institute of Clinical Excellence Physio for Pelvic Health & Geriatrics, and Creator of the Barbell Mamas. Christina helps female athletes maximize fitness potential with online programming for pregnant & postpartum CrossFitters & weightlifters.

We discuss research on female athletes, common misconceptions and myths floating around social media and where future focus should lie. Christina is a BOSS and we loved having her on the show. We look forward to following her future work.

Find Christina on Instagram @dr.christina_prevett

www.thebarbellamas.com

We are back! To open season 5 we have a very special personal experience of navigating the trials and tribulations of postpartum pelvic organ prolapse with Caoímhe Cummins - who is the founder and person behind the popular Instagram account @thebighillhouse.

Emma and Grainne are delighted to present a very special FINALE episode. In this episode, they are joined by Olympian and world champion long distance runner Kara Goucher! This season of At Your Cervix has discussed so many facets of pelvic health with a strong bias towards the female athlete. In this episode, the discussion with Kara brings it all together. Kara has had an incredible career and has been exposed to many of the issues we have discussed throughout this season like REDs , pregnancy and postpartum complications as well as transitioning from athlete to mother athlete. Kara is a huge advocate of educating young athletes and a true inspiration to all women, young and old! 

This really is a must listen, get ready to be inspired, impassioned and excited about the future of the female athlete!  

Kara's Bio 

KARA GOUCHER is an American long-distance runner. She won the silver medal at the 2007 World Championships in the 10,000 meters and is a two-time Olympian. A podium finisher at the Boston and New York City Marathons, she also competed for the University of Colorado, where she was a three-time NCAA champion. After more than a decade as a Nike athlete, Kara is now sponsored by Oiselle and Altra and is a cofounder of the Clean Sport Collective, an anti-doping initiative. She lives in Boulder, Colorado, with her husband, Adam, also an elite runner, and their son, Colt. Read more about her at karagoucher.com.

**** Trigger warning This episode discusses birth trauma and birth injuries*****

Perineal injuries during childbirth known as OASI (Obstetric Anal Sphincter Injury) or 3rd and 4th degree tears. A third-degree tear is a perineal tear that extends into the muscle of the external anal sphincter. If the tear extends further into the lining of the anus or rectum it is known as a fourth-degree tear. The incidence of OASI in the UK is 2.9% with an incidence rate of 6.1% in first births – meaning around 1 in 20 first-time mums in the UK suffer this type of serious injury. The main risk factor for anal incontinence amongst childbearing women is an OASI injury but OASI injuries can also cause other symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction. An OASI can have a devastating impact on quality of life - affecting a woman’s health, intimate relationships, family relationships and employment.

In today's episode Emma Talks to Joanna Prance, Personal Trainer, Yoga Instructor, Ostomate and a Mum. In 1998, Jo was 22 when she sustained life-changing injuries during the traumatic birth of her son. The extent of these devastating injuries only manifested over time and she could never have imagined the ordeal of what the subsequent 23 years would bring or the impact her childbirth experience would have on the rest of her life. As a result she has undergone multiple treatments, procedures and over 17 surgical interventions, including TVT mesh, sacral neuromodulation and colostomy surgery.

Speaker Bio 

Through her work as Speaker and educator Joanna is keen to raise awareness of how life-changing severe childbirth injuries are to those who suffer them and their families and to improve the outcomes for those affected by these injuries.

Jo began her involvement with The MASIC Foundation in 2019, a charity that supports women who have suffered serious injuries like OASI (Obstetric Anal Sphincter Injury) during childbirth and is a MASIC Advocate.

She has also been engaged with project work for Colostomy UK, a charity that supports and empowers people living with a stoma

A keen sportswoman, she has sustained an active lifestyle despite facing numerous challenges as a result of her injuries. She enjoys yoga, walking, strength training and last year returned to competitive swimming.

Jo’s fitness and healthcare career spans over 17 years through her private work as a Personal Trainer and formerly in the public sector as a specialist Cardiac Rehabilitation Instructor.

You can find her on instagram @colostomummy

To find out more about MASICs please visit www.masic.org,uk

The conversation around the menopause is finely gathering pace. It's a hot topic in the press and there are many great campaigns, more books and resources that can help women manage the menopause and seek the treatment they want and deserve. 

The menopause can be difficult to navigate and is still shrouded in mystery. Grainne and Emma had a great conversation about the menstrual cycle with Michelle Lyons in season 2 where we touched on menopause. In today's episode we were delighted to discuss the menopause in greater depth with Dr Orla Conlon. In this episode Orla debunks myths and provides some sound advice for any woman who is peri or post menopausal. She helps highlight that the menopause can be a positive time in a woman's life, a time that can be embraced. 

If you enjoy this episode please share and of course leave a review! 

Speakers Bio

Dr Orla Conlon graduated in Medicine from Queen’s University, Belfast in 1995 and has been working in Obstetrics & Gynaecology since 1996. She became a Member of the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists in 2000 and was appointed to what was previously known as The Erne Hospital in Enniskillen as Consultant in Obstetrics & Gynaecology in March 2007. She is also a specialist with the British Menopause Society with a special interest in vulval conditions