Accra: As August marks Pelvic Floor Dysfunction Awareness Month, the Physiotherapy Students' Association of the University of Health and Allied Sciences (PHYSA-UHAS), in collaboration with the Ho Teaching Hospital (HTH), has embarked on an intensive awareness campaign targeting pregnant women and midwives in the Volta Region.
According to Ghana News Agency, the maiden campaign, held at the Ho Polyclinic, was themed 'Pelvic Floor Dysfunction: Awareness, Care and Prevention' and aimed to break the silence around a condition that many women endure in secrecy. Leading the campaign, Ms. Ellen Mensa-Bonsu, a physiotherapist, explained that pregnancy brings significant physical changes to a woman's body, especially to the pelvic floor muscles. These muscles support the bladder, uterus, and rectum, while also ensuring continence.
Ms. Mensa-Bonsu highlighted that during pregnancy, these muscles stretch to accommodate the growing baby, which can lead to a loss of elasticity. This stretching may cause urinary or faecal incontinence, or even prolapse, where the uterus partially slips out of place. She emphasized that many women suffer in silence due to the belief that these symptoms are a natural part of motherhood, or due to fear of stigma related to odour, leakage, or discomfort. Others are simply unaware that medical help exists.
Ms. Mensa-Bonsu assured that as part of this month's awareness drive, pregnant women and midwives are being informed that these conditions are treatable. She stated that at the Ho Teaching Hospital, physiotherapists, doctors, and midwives can offer tailored exercises and therapies to restore pre-pregnancy function. These interventions could also improve sexual health after childbirth, dispelling the misconception that intimacy must be compromised after delivery.
She urged women not to normalize or hide symptoms-whether urinary leakage, faecal leakage, fistula, or sexual discomfort-but to seek professional care promptly. This first-ever pelvic floor awareness outreach in the Volta Region will cover three facilities: including the Ho Polyclinic, Ho Municipal Hospital on August 21, and Worawora in the Oti Region on August 28. Ms. Mensa-Bonsu noted that rural and semi-rural communities, where home deliveries are common, often lack access to such education, leaving many women vulnerable to preventable complications.
On behalf of the facility, Ms. Regina Gbekle, Midwifery Officer, expressed gratitude to the team. She acknowledged that the programme is highly educational for both pregnant women and midwives, as it has filled gaps in antenatal education and will enhance how they counsel expectant mothers on pelvic floor care. She encouraged pregnant women to openly discuss any symptoms with health professionals rather than keeping them private, advising that confiding is the first step to getting the necessary help.
Some pregnant women who spoke to the Ghana News Agency after the programme stated that they had learned practical exercises and preventive measures that they would continue practicing at home for better health during pregnancy and after childbirth.
