![]() Have your say and complete the survey.ĭr. Your response will be passed on to the Department of Health alongside the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeon‘s application to reinstate postpartum abdominoplasty on the Medicare Benefits Schedule. That’s why ASPS have prepared a survey to gather patient and community perspectives on the demand for Medicare to subsidise surgical repair of abdominal muscle separation after pregnancy. No woman should have to face abdominal separation, incontinence, chronic back pain and other conditions following pregnancy. Fiona Martin pointed out that attention to this problem is important to women’s health, Australian families and women in the workforce. We place a lot of emphasis on perinatal care, but we have been ignoring a glaring postnatal problem – the post-partum abdominoplasty and its Medicare reclassification.ĭr. To have a young mother tell me that she can now play with her children is quite moving. It can, however, be a life-changing procedure. The operation is a major one and to call it a tummy tuck rather than an abdominoplasty is to trivialise it. In my practice, I see a lot of women with muscle separation after having children. Health Minister Mr Greg Hunt, MP has promised to offer Medicare subsidies on abdominal surgery for women with birth injuries if an independent committee approves a new request from the Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons. ![]() Fiona Martin, MP (and proud mother of four children) on 13 October 2020. This was presented, along with a clear description of the overall situation, to parliament by Dr. Kerrie Edwards, a mother of twins, has organised a petition of 13,000 signatures which has been submitted to the government. That’s why we need to address the issue of the post-partum abdominoplasty and Medicare rebates, or lack thereof. Now there is a lot of clinical evidence supporting its important place in re- establishing normal function after pregnancy and therefore its reinstatement as a rebatable operation. The reason was that, at the time, there was not enough evidence to support the operation as a reconstructive procedure. As a consequence, it is only rebatable in cases of significant weight loss and not for problems occurring as a result of pregnancy. What is the political point of this article?Ībdominoplasty for post-partum abdominal stretching was a Medicare rebatable operation until it was reclassified in 2016. We know this from clinical trials performed initially here in Australia which have been reinforced by subsequent overseas trials. The majority of women who undergo repair report a significant improvement in core strength with reduced back pain and reduction of urinary incontinence. Repairing the muscles is an integral part of Abdominoplasty (a.k.a. Can anything be done to correct the problem?Ībsolutely yes! Repairing the muscle separation restores the integrity of the muscles and their function. For many, one of the most wonderful things in their lives. And why does this happen? Quite simply because a woman has a baby and becomes a mother. Sporting activity, working capacity, social interaction and sexual activity can all be compromised because of fear of pain and embarrassment. The consequences are direct, in the form of back pain and urinary incontinence, with the flow-on problems of decreased physical activity, reduced quality of life, difficulty returning to work, personal hygiene problems, social inconvenience and a reduction in desire to become pregnant again for fear of worsening the situation.Ī woman’s perception of what she can do may be dramatically altered. It is so important because it is the stable base from which all our other muscle function originates. It is the strength in our abdominal muscles and our back. We hear about how important core strength is all the time. In about two thirds of women, these muscles return to an adequate position, but in one third of mums they stay separated and even extensive physio and exercise do not restore their position and, importantly, their function amounting to a loss of core strength. ![]() Not only the six-pack muscles, but all the abdominal muscles are affected. ![]() When a woman grows with pregnancy, the tendinous structure between the “six-pack” muscles stretch apart. Well, yes, they may help with that, but for so many women, these operations do so much more. “Mummy Tuck” and “Tummy Tuck” – are these just cosmetic operations to get your figure back to the way it looked before children? Or more specifically, why this procedure should be reinstated as rebatable after being reclassified in 2016. ![]() In this article, we’ll be discussing the postpartum abdominoplasty and Medicare issue. ![]()
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