Women in France Don't Pee Their Pants When They Laugh, Do Your Patients?
By: Nataliya Zlotnikov, MSc, HBSc ∙ Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
By: Nataliya Zlotnikov, MSc, HBSc ∙ Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
The right place for burning questions
Are you a pelvic health practitioner, a practitioner looking to learn more about pelvic health, or are you simply looking to find out why women in France don't pee their pants when they laugh? Well, you've come to the right place for all three!
Today's blog addresses the following burning questions:
- Why is it that women in France don't pee their pants when they laugh?
- What's the difference between urinary incontinence (UI) and overactive bladder (OAB)?
- How do you identify pelvic floor dysfunction in your patients?
- Can you treat pelvic floor clients with virtual care?
This blog is based on Nelly Faghani's (Pelvic Health Solutions' founder) on-demand, online continuing education course on Embodia Academy, Introduction to Pelvic Health Physiotherapy, which is free for Embodia Members.
When you just can't hold it: Urinary incontinence vs. overactive bladder
Before we get into this very important comparison, let's answer that pressing question first: "Why is it that women in France don't pee their pants when they laugh?"
That is because, in France, the government pays for all women to see a pelvic floor physiotherapist postpartum. Amazing! And now, having put the North American healthcare system to shame, let us continue.
Overactive bladder (OAB): OAB can be defined as an increased urgency to go pee accompanied by an increased frequency (more than eight times per day). Patients often get up at night to urinate (which a person below the age of 50/55 should not be doing). OAB can further be broken down into OAB wet and OAB dry: OAB wet presents with leakage while OAB dry presents with no leakage.
In urinary incontinence (UI) on the other hand, patients may not have any urgency or increased frequency but will have leakage.
A few more drops of information
In addition to OAB and UI, this Pelvic Health Solutions course also discusses numerous other pelvic floor dysfunctions such as pelvic organ prolapse, dyspareunia (pain with intercourse), and pelvic pain.
I thoroughly enjoyed this course and took a wealth of information away from it. I recommend it wholeheartedly for any practitioner, even if you aren't working with pelvic health patients. Follow our big yellow button below to take a closer look.
8 diagnoses to identify pelvic floor dysfunction in patients
Here are some things you can look for in your patients to help identify pelvic floor dysfunction:
- Urinary incontinence
- Fecal incontinence
- Pelvic organ prolapse
- Overactive bladder
- Constipation
- Dyspareunia
- Pelvic pain
- Low back pain (yes, that's right, low back pain)
Can you treat pelvic floor clients with virtual care?
Times have changed. We are living in the age of hybrid care and mobile practitioners. Virtual care lets you treat patients in remote and diverse regions and gives you the flexibility and mobility that many of us crave.
Many—practitioners and patients alike—have doubts about virtual care and pelvic health, that is until they try it! Can virtual pelvic health physiotherapy truly be effective? The answer to this is a resounding yes, a capitalized YES!
Nelly has seen many patients for pelvic health since COVID started (which is when virtual pelvic health care really started to take off) and has seen a huge patient satisfaction rate in virtual care; many patients have been discharged virtually and the outcomes have truly been fantastic!
Here is a snippet from the course in which Nelly discusses some of the benefits of virtual care as well as her experience with Embodia virtual care.
Nelly on Virtual Care:
Looking for more from Pelvic Health Solutions?
At Embodia are fortunate to have numerous online physiotherapy courses from Pelvic Health Solutions including:
- Let’s Talk About Sex: Addressing Sexual Function With Your Patients
- The Nuts and Bolts of Penile Rehabilitation & Sexual Health in Men's Health Physiotherapy
- Cultural Competencies in Pelvic Health
- Suicidality in Urologic Disease for Men and Women
But there are many more! Here is a complete list of Pelvic Health Solutions courses on Embodia.
If you have any questions for Nelly or PHS she would love to hear from you!
You can contact Nelly via e-mail at nelly@pelvichealthsolutions.ca or follow her on Instagram.
Be sure to also check out Pelvic Health Solutions - Courses for Professionals for even more courses.
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Date published: 17 March 2020
Last update: 31 January 2025
Pelvic Health Solutions (PHS) is an evidence-based teaching company that aims to educate and empower physiotherapists, healthcare professionals, and everyday people about pelvic health.
PHS was founded in 2010 out of the need to develop pelvic health resources in Ontario at a time when it was an under-serviced health concern. PHS provides continuing education courses, mentoring, and clinical resources for a variety of practitioners with the goal of equipping them to deliver evidence-based, biopsychosocial assessment and treatment of pelvic health problems in our province and abroad.
Our company also exists as a way to connect people experiencing pelvic health concerns to pelvic health physiotherapists in their area. PHS has ultimately blossomed into a community of curious people who are committed to providing hope and healing to those who suffer from pelvic health issues.
B.Sc. P.T., M.C.P.A.
Nelly graduated from the University of Toronto in 1996. Nelly started to treat pelvic health in 1998 and continues to be actively involved in clinical practice, mentoring and teaching. She has helped develop Continence Programs that have been implemented in various long-term care facilities through Ontario. Nelly has been a spokesperson for the Canadian Physiotherapy Association, has co-authored a neuro-urology textbook chapter on incontinence and has hosted a round table at the International Pelvic Pain Society Conference.
Nelly is a member of the ICS Children and Young Adult’s Committee and the ICS Physiotherapy Committee. She regularly attends international conferences and prides herself on staying on top of the current pelvic health literature.