Health Update: Weight training

A MUSCLE-TONING treatment for stress incontinence has become available for women to use at home. It entails inserting a small metal weight into the vagina and holding it there for 15 minutes or so, twice a day, by contracting the muscles of the pelvic floor, to keep it in place.

Vaginal cones have been used in hospitals for the past few years to treat stress incontinence - suffered by one in three women - and have been found to be effective in 70 per cent of cases. The cones, which come in progressively heavier weights, are useful for women who find it difficult to locate their pelvic floor muscles and who may end up exercising the wrong areas altogether.

A pack of three cones can be obtained from Colgate Medical Ltd, 1 Fairacres Estate, Dedworth Road, Windsor, Berkshire SL4 4LR, at pounds 25 a pack. A free incontinence information line has also been launched by Colgate (0800 526557).