My Account
It is estimated that about 50 per cent of women have some degree of pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and about 12 per cent of these cases require surgery.
While it is more common in older women, it can happen to younger women after having a baby.
For Mangawhai gym owner Lou Forward, her own diagnosis and recovery led to a passion for female health and fitness.
“I’ve never been particularly good at any specific sport, but I’ve always been able to participate in any physical activity that I have wanted to,” Lou says. “It has always been about movement and being able to say ‘Yes’ to any physical opportunity or adventure that came my way.”
But this changed overnight when Lou suffered what appeared to be a completely random prolapse when she was in her thirties.
“I was living a very active life at the time, and the prolapse occurred while I was working out in my home gym. Initially that was the end of my active lifestyle, to one in which I felt completely vulnerable and broken. I couldn’t walk down the hall, play with my kids or do any physical activities without feeling like I was going to fall apart. The fear I felt after suffering from POP was massive. You can feel really isolated and alone.”
Lou sought help but, at that stage, there was no discussion about improving her symptoms, just management options. This meant she was not able to live the life she wanted to live it.
“I was told to limit my sports to gentle exercise which included walking and very low impact bike riding on flat ground. This was from the train of thought that these activities would limit my intra-abdominal pressure and reduce the likelihood of my prolapse getting worse.
“This was not a very appealing or practical lifestyle for me, being an active mum of two young energetic boys. I knew from previous experiences and study that the body does not stay static and I had recovered from plenty of injuries in the past.”
Lou was determined to rehabilitate and recover. She says that thankfully, the research and approach to recovery of POP has come a long way in the last few years.
She worked with a number of specialists in New Zealand, but none who supported her active lifestyle goals. She reached out to two international experts who specialised in corrective exercise for core dysfunction.
“They gave me hope and I started working towards a strong and confident body again.”
This was the catalyst for Lou to find out much more about core dysfunction and female specific health and fitness.
It was a journey of self-discovery where she also discovered her passion for female health. Describing herself as a ‘knowledge junkie’, Lou has completed more than 20 health and fitness courses specialising in female health from corrective exercise, training and holistic health approaches for the many stages of life such as pregnancy, post-partum and menopause, nutrition, movement coaching and holistic health.
She is continually learning and loves to share her knowledge and skills with other women. As well as her boutique fitness studio ForwardFIT in Mangawhai, she has set up online fitness programmes, runs workshops for other physical trainers and more general workshops for people who want to know more about women’s physical health and well-being.
“I worked as a chartered accountant for over a decade, but always had a passion for health and fitness. Suffering my POP was the catalyst for me to make my career change. I love helping women to achieve their health and fitness goals. I want to help women to do the things they love to do and enjoy their lives to their absolute fullest. Being healthy and happy is where it’s at.”
For more information call the Continence Helpline on 0800 650 659, visit www.continence.org.nz or email info@continence.org.nz
