What you eat and drink has a direct effect on your bladder. Certain foods and drinks - caffeine, alcohol, citrus, spicy food and carbonated drinks - are known bladder irritants that can increase urgency and leakage. On the flip side, staying well hydrated (with water) actually helps bladder function. Many women restrict fluid to manage leakage, which concentrates urine and makes urgency worse.

Fuelling well also supports the pelvic floor - the muscle group most responsible for bladder control. Nutrients that support muscle health and collagen production play a role in pelvic floor function over time.

Leakage during exercise is one of the most common - and most avoided - topics in women's health. Jumping, running, lifting and high-impact exercise all put pressure on the pelvic floor, and for many women that means leakage. The result? They stop going to the gym. They skip the run. They drop out of the sport they loved.

Exercise is one of the most powerful things women can do for long-term pelvic floor health - so the irony of leakage stopping movement is real. The Jean Hailes message this week is simple: movement that actually fits your life is still movement. And the right product removes the biggest barrier.

Sleep is one of the most powerful things you can do for your health - and one of the hardest to get when leakage is part of life. Nocturia (waking to use the toilet at night), night-time leakage and anxiety about bed protection disrupt sleep for millions of Australian women. And poor sleep makes everything harder - mood, focus, physical health and emotional resilience.

Jean Hailes reminds us this week that rest is not a luxury. It is a health strategy. And protecting your sleep environment is part of that.

Mental wellbeing and bladder health are more connected than most people realise. Anxiety and stress increase urgency. The mental load of managing leakage - planning outfits around products, scoping out bathrooms, avoiding long outings - takes up real cognitive space. And the shame and embarrassment that many women carry quietly can compound over time into genuine anxiety.

Jean Hailes focuses this day on the many things that shape how you feel - and giving yourself permission to prioritise your own mental health alongside your physical health. That is not selfish. It is essential.

Connection - with friends, community and the world outside your home - is fundamental to wellbeing. And leakage quietly erodes it. Women cancel plans, skip social events and stop doing the things that bring them joy because they are not confident in their product. That is a significant quality-of-life cost that rarely gets named.

Jean Hailes talks this week about small steps to finding connection in everyday life. The voice message. The community group. The coffee with a neighbour. These things matter. And they are within reach.