Continence Health Australia has welcomed the release of The Cost of Birth Trauma report, commissioned by Birth Trauma Australia alongside the RANZCOG Birth Trauma Roundtable Final Report, saying the findings reinforce the urgent need for better prevention, pre-natal education about modes of delivery, earlier intervention and ongoing support for women following childbirth.
Continence Health Australia is joining RANZCOG and Birth Trauma Australia in calling on the Australian Government to implement the Roundtable’s recommendations to modernise postnatal care.
Pregnancy and childbirth have long been recognised by leading clinical organisations, including RANZCOG, as major risk factors for pelvic floor injury and incontinence. Yet many women still do not receive consistent explanation about delivery options, assessment and treatment of injuries during postnatal care.
“Implementing these recommendations would help ensure women receive earlier assessment, better support and improved access to pelvic floor care.”
Associate Professor Wendy Bower, Director Research Strategy and Funding, Continence Health Australia.
The recommendations include comprehensive assessment, timely follow-up and coordinated care across the first year after birth, modernised Medicare funding for longer consultations and multidisciplinary care beyond eight weeks, strengthened GP-led pathways for early identification and dedicated Medicare and public hospital funding for pelvic floor assessment for all women after childbirth.
They also call for improved access to early intervention by reducing cost barriers and strengthening rural and regional services through telehealth and outreach.
The recommendations come as The Cost of Birth Trauma report estimates birth trauma cost Australia $17.5 billion in 2023, with many experiencing long-term physical and psychological impacts.
Continence Health Australia Director of Research and Funding, Associate Professor Wendy Bower said the reports shine an important light on an issue that has too often gone unrecognised.
“Birth-related injuries can have lasting impacts on bladder and bowel control, pelvic floor function and quality of life. Implementing these recommendations would help ensure women receive earlier assessment, better support and improved access to pelvic floor care.
“The recommendations outlined in these reports represent an important opportunity to strengthen postnatal care, ensure women are listened to and supported, and improve access to evidence-based services that can prevent long-term complications.”
Continence Health Australia encourages women experiencing bladder or bowel control problems after pregnancy or childbirth to seek advice from a health professional. Free information and support are available through the National Continence Helpline.
“Too many women believe these symptoms are simply part of becoming a mother, but help is available. No woman should have to suffer in silence,” Prof Bower said.
For more information about pelvic floor health and incontinence, contact the National Continence Helpline on 1800 33 00 66.
Resources
- Find a physiotherapist – Continence Health Australia members with at least a postgraduate certificate in continence and women’s health or pelvic floor physiotherapy.
- Find a service provider – an Australia-wide directory of medical specialists and allied health providers
- Pregnancy, childbirth and the pelvic floor
