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A new service is being developed to help pregnant women and new mums in the North Yorkshire and Humber areas with their pelvic health.

The Perinatal Pelvic Health Service will bring together midwives and specialist physiotherapists to prevent and treat pelvic health problems, health officials said.

The service will support women with symptoms including incontinence, prolapse and injury during pregnancy, after birth, and as their children grow up.

Debbie Plowman, clinical lead for pelvic health physiotherapy at York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said women were often "too embarrassed" to come forward for treatment and the service was designed to "break down some of the stigma".

"Many people believe that things like leaking urine when sneezing or pain when having sex is just part and parcel of being a new parent," she said.

Ms Plowman added they would like to “dispel this myth," and "remind people that whilst these symptoms are common, they are not ‘normal’ and something they just have to struggle on with".

The Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership is encouraging people to come forward for support, as research suggests many people still struggle with symptoms like urinary incontinence a year after having a baby.

The Partnership said some women continue to struggle for years.

Women will be able to self-refer for the service, minimising the number of people they have to talk to about their pelvic health symptoms and getting access to care and treatment sooner.

The service will be available to women in the areas covered by the Partnership: North Yorkshire, City of York, Hull, East Riding, North East Lincolnshire and North Lincolnshire.

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