Childbirth left me with life-changing injuries - it took 20 years to get my freedom back
A mum who suffered life-changing injuries during a traumatic childbirth has told how it took 20 years to reclaim her health.
Jo Prance, from Surrey, was diagnosed with a minor perineal tear — damage to the tissue between the vaginal opening and anus — during the birth of her son in 1998.
But the severity of her tear and extent of the injury was missed by medics, she claimed.
Now 48, Ms Prance has since had to undergo 19 separate operations to help tackle the resulting urinary incontinence, severe pelvic pain and even pelvic organ prolapse.
Having lived a life 'dictated by access to toilets' for two decades, Ms Prance — who was also forced to have a stoma and mesh sling — is now fighting to lift the stigma of incontinence.
Jo Prance, from Surrey, was diagnosed with a minor perineal tear — damage to the tissue between the vaginal opening and anus — after welcoming her son in 1998. But the severity of her tear and injury was missed, she claimed
Now 48, Ms Prance has since had to undergo 19 separate operations to help tackle the resulting urinary incontinence, severe pelvic pain and even pelvic organ prolapse
Having lived a life 'dictated by access to toilets' for two decades, Ms Prance — who was also forced to have a stoma and mesh sling — is now fighting to lift the stigma of incontinence
Recalling her 20-year ordeal, she said: 'It's been a gruelling journey — physically challenging and mentally exhausting.
'The personal toll of the injury has been immense.
'I tried numerous medications and treatments for the incontinence and had to irrigate my bowels daily.'
She added: 'My son has pretty much grown up alongside these issues being dealt with, and me needing access to bathrooms.
'On the school run I'd have to stop various times (to use the bathroom).
'At work, I might choose not to eat or drink some days because I was worried about having a problem with my bowel.
'It impacted every area of my life and occupied my every move.
'Toilets became everything and I was carrying around changing kit for myself, as well as my child.'
Incontinence wasn't the only issue caused by the tear with Ms Prance also having to grapple with pelvic organ prolapse.
Prolapse occurs when organs held inside the pelvis slip down from their normal position and as a consequence push on the tissue that surrounds the vagina, causing a heavy, bulging or dragging sensation.
Although not life-threatening, it can cause pain, discomfort during sex and can be another trigger for incontinence.
It is particularly common in mothers, because pregnancy and birth weaken the pelvic floor muscles.
But menopause is also a trigger as hormonal changes can affect pelvic muscle elasticity and mass.
Figures suggest around six in ten women are living with at least one symptom of poor pelvic floor health, such as urinary incontinence or pelvic organ prolapse.
Yet 69 per cent have never mentioned these to an NHS professional, according to a survey by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG).
Treatment for prolapses varies depending on the severity, ranging from simple lifestyle choices such as losing weight or stopping smoking, to surgery.
In 2000, Ms Prance had a mesh sling inserted in 2000 to support her bladder — which temporarily helped — but later left her with chronic pelvic pain, she said.
This pain became so intense that she was eventually forced to leave her fitness job within the NHS.
In 2000, Ms Prance had a mesh sling inserted in 2000 to support her bladder — which temporarily helped — but left her with pelvic pain that became chronic, she said. The pain was so intense, she was also forced to leave her fitness job within the NHS. Pictured: Ms Prance and her son at his graduation six months after her stoma surgery
To mark 25 years since her original injury, Ms Prance has also challenged herself to try 25 new things over the course of the year to 'start over again'
She added: 'My body was a mess. There was a nerve in my leg that was affected by the mesh.
'I had a couple of episodes of my leg not working properly before I sought private help.
'Sixteen years after the mesh was inserted, I had it removed privately, which finally resolved the chronic pain.'
After opting to have a colostomy — when one end of the colon is diverted through an opening in the tummy and covered with a pouch that collects stools — she claimed she began to get her life back.
'It was a turning point for me as it gave me back my freedom,' she added.
'I'm a very fit and active person, and each time I've had an operation I've had to start over again.
'I feel I have been rebuilt in a way.'
'I've had a lot of surgeries and with the pelvic floor maintenance I now do, I'm trying to mitigate the need for any more in the future.'
To mark 25 years since her original injury, Ms Prance has also challenged herself to try 25 new things over the course of the year to 'start over again'.
She said: 'I spent years keeping myself fit but not being able to put myself in the positions which I now can, because I'd need to go to the toilet.
'A swimming club would have been impossible because it would have been dictated by access to toilets.
'My health is the best it's been in a long time. Six weeks after having my stoma fitted, I was back in the pool, and I've since completed my yoga teacher training too.
'I'm now picking up where my life was on pause for so long.'
'It's important to me to share my story and help raise awareness because people just don't talk about these things.
'I want people facing these issues not to hide away and to seek help.'
It comes just months after a damning report into the 'postcode lottery' of NHS maternity care also ruled good care is 'the exception rather than the rule'.
A hugely anticipated parliamentary inquiry into birth trauma, which heard evidence from more than 1,300 women, found pregnant women are being treated like a 'slab of meat'.
At the time, then-Health Secretary Victoria Atkins labelled testimonies heard in the report 'harrowing' and vowed to improve maternity care for 'women throughout pregnancy, birth and the critical months that follow'.
In May, ex- Made in Chelsea star Louise Thompson also revealed how she feared she would die after she was refused a C-section and tore her womb when giving birth to son Leo
NHS England chief executive Amanda Pritchard also said the experiences outlined in the report 'are simply not good enough'.
In May, ex-Made in Chelsea star Louise Thompson revealed how she feared she would die after she was refused a C-section and tore her womb when giving birth to son Leo.
In an exclusive extract from her book published by Mail+, the 34-year-old confessed she could barely look at her baby after his traumatic birth and her fiancé Ryan Libbey thought about leaving her.
Doctors at NHS Chelsea and Westminster hospital eventually ordered a C-section after it was found Leo’s head was stuck in her pelvis, she said.
Unbeknown to her at the time this had actually tore her womb, leading to bleeding that was hard to stop and led to her losing three-and-a-half litres of blood, more than three quarters of the blood in the body.
Frontline midwives have previously warned that working in the NHS is like playing a 'warped game of Russian Roulette', as there was a risk of harm or death to labouring women at any time, partly due to 'dangerously' low staffing levels.
The CQC’s annual maternity survey, published in February, revealed women's experiences of care have deteriorated in the past five years, with staff shortages a key reason.
