CONTINENCE ASSESSMENT:

A continence assessment can guide a continence health care professional to understand your bowel condition and how to support you with the condition. Questions you may be asked during an assessment includes your:

9 Bowel patterns

9 Bowel symptoms

9 Medical history including surgical history and obstetric (pregnancy and childbirth) history

9 Medications

9 Diet

9 Toileting posture and technique and

9 Physical examination (including your abdomen, pelvic floor and anal sphincters)

Based on this information you provide, a continence health care professional will develop a management or treatment plan with you, to support you to improve your bowel symptoms, control and patterns. This may include:

9 Suggested changes to what and when you eat and drink

9 Pelvic floor exercises or relaxation

9 Deferment or holding on techniques

9 Toileting regime for when to use the toilet

9 Reviewing or altering how you use the toilet

9 Reviewing laxative or anti-diarrhoea medication use.

You may be referred to a dietitian to look at your diet and observe whether you should try a low FODMAPs* diet, to see if altering certain types of sugars in your diet improves your symptoms. You may also be referred to a clinical psychologist to assess whether stress, anxiety, depression or trauma may be contributing to your bowel symptoms, emptying and control.