Carin Mini: Pelvic Floor Trainer (Review)

I was gifted this item a number of weeks ago and I have been trialling it for the past month. Carin is developed with the purpose for helping everyday women manage bladder control issues all too common, especially after having children. 

As a midwife, I find myself often talking to women about their pelvic floor. During pregnancy we enquire about urine and faecal incontinence. This involves the inability to control bladder and bowel movements. It can range from mild leakage, to complete loss of control. We recommend all pregnant women do daily pelvic floor exercises 10 times, 3 sessions per day, but if there are any problems, we recommend self-referring to our women's physiotherapists. At delivery, we talk again about pelvic floor exercises, especially if there are any perineal trauma. The physiotherapists automatically will see any women with third or fourth degree tears as an inpatient. Finally, it is routinely discussed again at both discharge and at home visits. 

The Carin Mini Sensor helps you detect and identify urine leaks using a discreet vibration technology. This can be combined with the Carin Training App to help strengthen and track progress together. The information personalises your training, allowing the app to recognise problematic exercises and recommend a tailored training program to regain bladder control. The app is has a personalised training programme, consisting of simple 10 minute workouts and discreet alerts. 

The initial package I received was completely empty, however the company quickly sent out a replacement and the box was carefully secured inside. It's quite a small package, with a code given to access the app. Inside includes a simple but clear manual with some basic instructions. 

The box itself contains the mini sensor, which is very discreet and lightweight, with two pages of stickers. I found myself being able to reuse the stickers a maximum of twice, before having to replace it, mainly due to the loss of stickiness. This means the box will last for about 40 days before needing to buy replacements. 

I tried to capture just how small the sensor itself is. It is really tiny so whilst I was worried about having it on my clothes, it isn't noticeable at all. I thought the weight would feel uncomfortable, or that it would be visible under clothing, but not at all. It is smooth and flat on top, with two small metal sensors on the underneath. These almost become flat with the addition of the sticker, which is easy to place, so don't dig in. 

Overall, I really like this product. I have always struggled with pelvic floor exercises, despite teaching other women how to do them and I strongly recommend everyone do them regularly to keep the pelvic floor strong and prevent bladder incontinence. If you too need something additional to help support your practice, this is a great, reasonably priced and non-invasive method. 

Side note, I have loved seeing their range broaden and they have recently released a similar product for children called "Oopsie Heroes Bedwetting Alarm". It's such a great, fun and simple idea to help children prevent accidents at night.