Why did we do the study?
It is a catch 22 situation, horseback riding is a great way to strengthen the pelvic floor and thereby prevent pelvic floor disorders, yet at the same time, for many women, it is often a challenge to ride without wetting the saddle. It is a common but overlooked problem. We decided to do this study to learn more about how women cope with urine leakage during horseback riding and to see if our product, Efemia Bladder Support, can be of help.
How did we do the study?
We invited 59 British and Swedish women to join the study and sent them a free start(er)-set. 39 of the women answered our questionnaire after having tried Efemia whilst horse riding for at least one month. Their average age was 49 years, they rode an average of eight hours per week, and they all had problems with urine leakage during horse riding.
How do they cope with their leakage?
The women reported that their urine leakage had a high negative impact on their enjoyment of riding (4 on a scale 1-5). Despite this, less than a third of the women saw themselves as incontinent or had asked for professional help. Only 14% of the women had openly discussed the problem. The rest had not discussed it with anyone or only with close friends or family. The most frequently reported event that caused leakage was when the horse did unexpected movements or during rising trot. The most common way to cope with the leakage was to use the bathroom before the riding session and to wear protective pads.
Did it help to use Efemia Bladder Support?
Yes! 81% (8 of 10) reported that Efemia reduced their urine leakage and 68% (7 of 10) reported that Efemia facilitated their riding. When asked, on a scale 0-10, how likely it was that they would continue to use Efemia or recommend it to a friend, the most frequent answer was 10 (very likely) and the median answer was 7. However, it did not fit all. 30 % of the women felt that Efemia Bladder Support was uncomfortable, and the comments received showed that it is important to select the right size and to practice how to place it. We also compared the user satisfaction of women riding less or more than five hours per week and found no difference between the two groups.
Here are some of the comments from the women:
What did we learn from the study?
We learned that Efemia can be used during horse riding, regardless of how many hours you spend in the saddle. Most of the women taking part in the study felt that the Efemia was comfortable andeffectively reduced urine leakage.
The study also confirmed that urine leakage whilst horse riding is a hidden problem that is coped with in silence, without looking for help. There is a need to remove the taboo surrounding incontinence, so that more women get the confidence to ask for help.
