From Penny Wilde, Hull, Yorkshire, UK
After suffering a bladder prolapse, I was told the importance of not straining on the loo, lest it happen again. Consequently, I researched the subject, bought a folding squat stool and included as much fibre as possible in my diet. The improvement has been huge(9 August, p 38).
Something of great importance that doctors never told me is your position during the act: lean forwards and keep your knees up and apart. It leads me to believe that another reason why so many more women than men have issues with constipation could be because they are shorter. Perhaps toilets are made to a height that generally suits men, and for ladies to be best-positioned, they need to be lower. I can feel a growing movement calling for lower loos.
