I had ‘vagina Botox’ to cure embarrassing problem

SITTING at her desk and feeling an aggressive tickle in her throat, Nicola Mannakee suddenly began to panic - she knew exactly what was about to happen, and she was powerless to stop it. Sure enough, no sooner had she coughed, she felt a familiar warm trickle as a little bit of wee came out - leaving the mortified office manager scuttling to the bathroom. Ever since she turned 30, Nicola had suffered from stress incontinence.

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It meant every single time she coughed, sneezed or even laughed she would temporarily lose control of her bladder. She had to constantly wear incontinence panty liners as a result, which would need to be changed multiple times a day. But Nicola, from London, is far from alone. According to incontinence UK, the health issue affects around 300m people worldwide - about five per cent of the population. Bladder and Bowel UK estimate around 14 million people in the UK suffer from incontinence problems.

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Like many, it was an embarrassing problem Nicola, now 41, suffered with for nearly a decade in silence. That was before she discovered a revolutionary vaginal rejuvenation treatment - a gentle, non-invasive therapy using radio frequency to stimulate collagen and improve blood flow. This type of treatment - of which there are several different options - is sometimes referred to as ‘vagina Botox’. Senior Consultant Midwife Arezou at Sadaf Jaffari Clinic says: "Just as Botox can tighten skin by relaxing muscles in the face, Morpheus8V uses radio frequency energy to stimulate collagen production and tighten vaginal and pelvic tissues.

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"This can result in improved tone and firmness in the vaginal area, which is why it’s sometimes compared to Botox. "It can help improve the appearance of the vulva, making it look more youthful and toned by reducing sagging or changes due to ageing.". Incontinence wasn’t an issue for Nicola until she was in her early thirties, but it then became an embarrassing problem that dogged her for nearly a decade.

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Nicola, who lives with her husband of 12 years, says: “I basically suffered from stress continence throughout my thirties until I had treatment. “The first time it happened - I think I was either at work or at home one day - and I had a really bad coughing fit and a little bit of wee came out. I just couldn’t stop it. “I was absolutely mortified, it was such a shock. My bladder just seemed weaker from then on.

“It made me feel so ashamed. Incontinence, especially if you’re young, is just so ‘taboo’ and just not something people talk about openly. “It would happen daily, and I’d have to wear daily panty liners just in case - I was terrified I was going to end up having to wear horrible adult nappies as I got a bit older if I didn’t find a treatment.”. Going into the store and buying incontinence panty liners in my thirties was inconvenient and annoying, and I didn’t understand what caused it.

There are several types of urinary incontinence including stress incontinence, which is when urine leaks out at times when your bladder is under pressure; for example, when you cough or laugh. It can be caused by pregnancy or childbirth, increasing age, obesity or a family history of the condition. For Nicola, she’s never been sure exactly what caused the issue. She says: “I've never had children or been pregnant, so I’m not sure what caused it or if it’s just from stress.

“I think women getting older it's just something that happens, and obviously it happens a lot with pregnancy - but I was so young. “Going into the store and buying incontinence panty liners in my thirties was inconvenient and annoying, and I didn’t understand what caused it.”. Certain things can increase the chances of urinary incontinence, including:. It's not always possible to prevent urinary incontinence, but there are some steps you can take that may help reduce the chance of it happening. These include:.

From there the problem got progressively worse, until it was happening daily - sometimes multiple times a day. She says: “I tried everything. I did pilates and pelvic floor exercises and tried exercise instruments, which did help a bit but it wasn’t enough. “If I coughed or sneezed I’d try crossing my legs to stop the problem, but nothing seemed to really work. It was really frustrating. ”. Sometimes it was unavoidable. Nicola adds: “Every time I coughed it would happen, or even if I sneezed, or laughed.

“It would also happen if I went running, or jumped on a trampoline - every time I would basically wee a little bit. “It would happen everyday, sometimes up to four times a day if I had a cough, so I’d wear daily pantyliners just in case. “I could easily go through two or three panty liners a day - a few boxes a month - so I always made sure I had a stash, just in case. It was embarrassing, and I just tried not to talk about it.”.