As we get older, these problems become more prevalent so much so that after the age of 50 there'll actually be more women having problems with their bladder than actually those who don't and yet we don't hear about it at all and that's just because of the shame and it's not because it's not causing a severe impact of people's lives.

We know that about a third of women will decide to take early retirement or redundancy because of a bladder problem because they just can't carry out their job.

Well, that's the voice of Professor Vic Coulart. He is a consultant gynecologist and a Euro Gynecologist specialising in pelvic floor dysfunction for genital prolapse, urinary incontinence and pelvic pain, all things that we could do with being clued up on.

He is also a bit of a guru when it comes to navigating MCAS, that's mast cell activation syndrome and a lost and lost syndrome as we are about to discover.

This is the Lizelle Wellbeing Show, the podcast helping us all to have a better second half. I'm Lizelle and as I expect you know by now I'm on a bit of a mission to find ways for us all to thrive in later life by investing in our health and our wellbeing today.

And I can speak here actually as someone who's had personal experience of all the above conditions either for myself or members of my immediate family.

And so I'm especially keen to make sure we do have these conversations which I know from my post bag here at Lizelle Wellbeing are affecting just so many of us too.

Well Vic is the head of the department of Euro Gynecology at St Mary's Hospital in London which he established back in 2000 and he has private clinics in London too.

He's an academic author and investigator into what's being called Long COVID and the impact of COVID bladder problems.

He also dedicates time to teaching as a professor of Euro Gynecology at the Imperial College London and I have no doubt he is about to pass on a lot of wisdom to us today.

Thank you.