Well, the French should be commended for more than just having good wine and a healthy taste for smelly cheeses...they are funding perineal 're-education' for postnatal mums. Perineal re-education? That's right. Classes to strengthen the pelvic floor. For many women, this is a particular poignant reminder of childbirth as weakened pelvic floor muscles can lead to leaking from a stretched birth canal. American doctors tell women to do Kegel exercises; the French fund 10 sessions with a specialist. According to the New York Times:
"France spent $3,464 per person on health care in 2004, compared with $6,096 in the United States, according to the World Health Organization. Yet Frenchmen live on average two years longer than American men do, and Frenchwomen live four years longer. The infant mortality rate in France is 43 percent lower than in the United States."
What a fantastic idea! I have heard countless stories from women in my study who have experienced embarassing instances of leaking. Moreover, this is one of the reasons many women want to have elective caesars; the fear of perineal trauma. Surely, this would be a great way to look after women post-natally and take care of one of the niggling issues of birth that is rarely talked about.
I think writer Pamela Druckerman sums it up the best:
"This American has certainly been converted. Do I want the government in my crotch? Of course I do. "
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/13/opinion/13druckerman.html?_r=1&ei=5070&oref=slogin
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment