You may feel like no one talks about ABL,
but that doesn’t mean no one is suffering.

  • "The fear of staining led me to wear dark clothing."

    - NANCY, age 68
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  • "I had no control of when accidents would happen."

    - BECKY, age 33
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  • "It is difficult to be in public. Can people smell me?"

    - LISA, age 47
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Women of all ages experience varying degrees of loss of bowel control,
with the average age of onset being 47 to 55. 1,2

You are not alone

The Truth

About Losing Bowel Control

What is loss of bowel control?

The inability to control your bowels – also known as Accidental Bowel Leakage (ABL) or Fecal Incontinence (FI) – is a real medical condition, and not merely a symptom of aging. Nerve or muscle damage in the pelvic region can affect bowel control, as can diarrhea, Irritable Bowel Syndrome or other gastrointestinal conditions. It can be embarrassing, even devastating in the wrong circumstances. Women who lose control of their bowels often feel like they have lost control of their life.

What are the symptoms?

Loss of bowel control symptoms are varied. Common symptoms include:

  • Urgency: Sudden, strong urge to have a bowel movement
  • Passive soiling: Passing stool without knowing it
  • Incomplete emptying: “Can’t get it all out” during a bowel movement; the remaining stool can leak out later on

Accidents can range from large to small to just stains in your underwear.  You may have some good days and some bad days, or you may have accidents every day.  You may visit the bathroom frequently. Many women report fearing a simple trip to work or the grocery store, and missing out on valuable time with friends and family. Unfortunately, many don’t bring it up with a doctor. 

Take Back

Control

What can I do to treat my condition?

Loss of bowel control is more common than you might think, and there are many different treatment options that can help improve bowel control. Start by talking to your doctor. He or she will help you decide what to try first. Your doctor may recommend changing your diet, taking medication, or doing exercises such as kegels. For patients for whom lifestyle changes don’t provide adequate control, physicians have traditionally recommended invasive procedures that involve injections, surgery or implants.

A new solution: The Eclipse System

We believe women should be able to lead a healthy, active and full life without limitations or fear of losing bowel control. We’ve developed the Eclipse System to provide an immediately effective, non-surgical solution to get women with bowel control problems back out in the world, with confidence and control.

SAFETY INFORMATION
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Be yourself again

Find out how

While the quotations and ages are those of real patients, the names and photographs are not. Data on file at Pelvalon.

  • 1 Bharucha AE, Zinsmeister AR, Locke GR, et al. Prevalence and Burden of Fecal Incontinence: A Population-Based Study in Women. Gastroenterology. 2005;129(1):42–49.
  • 2 Ratto, Carlo, and Giovanni Doglietto. Fecal Incontinence: Diagnosis and Treatment. Milan: Springer, 2007. Print.