Aniball clinical research

WHAT DID THE RESEARCH ASSURE US ABOUT?

Aniball is safe, it does not cause dilation of the vagina or incontinence. It helps to prevent injury to the perineum and reduces the risk of episiotomy by 60% (British Journal of Midwifery, February 2023, Vol. 31, No. 2). The aim of the training is NOT the mechanical expansion of the birth canal. The stretch achieved during training is irrelevant.

Aniball should also be used regularly from six weeks after giving birth. It contributes to the restoration of pelvic floor function and prevention of incontinence later in life.

Prospective cohort study "Investigating antenatal pelvic floor training using a vaginal balloon device in Czech women", conducted by Dr. Fousek and his team, was published in the prestigious British Journal of Midwifery following 6 years of intensive research (February 2023, Vol. 31, No. 2).

The study shows that the prenatal preparation ofthe pelvic floor with Aniball medical devicefrom the 36th week of pregnancy in women giving birth to a baby head first reduces the incidence of episiotomy (cases: 34% vs. controls: 59%; P = 0.007) and the total number of birth injuries(80 vs. 97%, P = 0.005).

Open study source

THE STUDY BRIEF

This study examined the results of births in Czech first-time mothers giving birth vaginally head first and compared the differences between women exercising with Aniball and non-exercising women.

Main Results

The study concluded that Aniball helps to prevent injury of the perineum by episiotomy. It also confirmed that Aniball is safe - its use does not increase the risk of damage to the pelvic floor and does not cause urogynaecology problems later on. There was no difference between the two groups in the incidence of pelvic floor injury (avulsion injury to levator ani muscle). It refuted the opponents' fears that Aniball violated the integrity of the pelvic floor and worsened the quality of a woman’s life after childbirth.

OTHER IMPORTANT FINDINGS:

~ EXERCISE FREQUENCY
More frequent exercise does not lead to a further reduction in the number of birth injuries or degrees of tears. On the contrary, less frequent exercise (every other day) seems to be more beneficial.

~ CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE BALLOON
The most frequent maximum circumference of the balloon was 25 cm - this confirms that it is not desirable to inflate the balloon further. The aim of the training is to practice the relaxation of the pelvic floor and not to reach the largest circumference of the balloon.

~ THE QUALITY OF LIFE AFTER CHILDBIRTH
The practising women did not indicate a decrease in life quality (in terms of incontinence or sexual dysfunction) after childbirth. On the contrary, incontinence and deterioration of love life quality after childbirth were reported by more women who did not exercise: Stress incontinence (p = 0.066) and sexual dysfunction (p = 0.14).

In addition, an analysis of the causes responsible for the removal of women from the postpartum study revealed a non-significant reduction in the number of vaginal extraction operationsin female practitioners (6.8% vs. 17.3%, p = 0.0895). This interesting highlight could be an incentive to further research on the potential benefits of using the balloon.