A growing number of menopausal women are being prescribed weight loss injections like Wegovy, Mounjaro, Ozempic without adequate assessment of their ability to exercise — a key component of long-term weight management and a lifestyle support plan. Health experts are concerned that issues such as bladder leakage, a common but under-discussed symptom of menopause, are often overlooked during weight consultations. It does not help women just telling them to exercise without understanding the challenges many women face first.

Bladder leakage, or stress urinary incontinence, affects millions of women, post childbirth, in the perimenopause and during and after menopause. This can make activities like running, aerobics, or even walking briskly, uncomfortable or embarrassing, effectively limiting sufferers' ability to engage in regular physical activity. In fact, bladder leakage is the single most common reason women give for ceasing to exercise, and main reason for dropping out of gym membership.

With the increasing cost and limited availability of weight loss jabs, it's important to maximise the results of weight loss jabs. These medications have delivered great results for many patients, though “if a woman can’t exercise because of bladder leakage, she’s missing a critical part of the weight management equation,” says Andrew Tasker, Clinical Lead at Viveca Biomed.

Without addressing the root causes of weight gain and movement limitations, women may find themselves reliant on medication long-term, while still struggling with symptoms that impact their quality of life.

“We urge healthcare providers to adopt a more holistic approach to weight loss care — one that includes pelvic health assessments, physiotherapy referrals, and open conversations about the impact of bladder leakage on exercise. This can save both the NHS and the patient money, and naturally help with weight loss.”

One clinically proven simple solution is Contrelle Activgard, a soft foam bladder support. Once inserted into the vagina, the device supports and stabilises the bladder neck and urethra, whilst also gently improving the angle of the bladder neck. Seven clinical studies support the efficacy of Contrelle Activgard with data showing it gets women back into exercise. With Contrelle Activgard in place, most women can exercise without experiencing any bladder leakage. This would offer women a more sustainable, long-term solution to weight gain, and should be the first line approach which is cost-effective for the patient and the NHS when prescribed.

Do you have the skill set to be hands on and keep a fully automated plant running and introduce new technologies?

Also have an eye for detail and quality with the ability to intuitively trace and solve issues?
Then please read on........

We are looking for a skilled Mechanical Engineer, who wants to play a central part in overseeing our semi-automated high volume production machines. This is a hands on engineering role. A crucial part of the job is to ensure all scheduled maintenance operations are carried out and logged. You must be able to develop a deep understanding of the machine operations and have strong ability to intuitively trace issues. You will need to ensure that the current plant is maintained and take a lead role in commissioning new technologies for existing and new product development. 

Your engineering skills will be utilized to proactively solve problems and take leadership/responsibility. We would also need you to be adaptable and support the running of machines. You will need experience in hydraulics, pneumatics, electronics/control systems. Understanding of Allen Bradley or Siemens programming would be a benefit.

Experience in polyurethane dispensing would be advantageous but not essential as in-house training will be given. This particular area of PU production is highly technical and requires attention to detail.
We are looking for someone who is a skilled communicator as a key member of the team. With this we will look to you to both demonstrate and teach best working practices to production employees. You will need at least 5 years post qualification experience.

The product we manufacturer can literally change the lives of women who suffer from bladder leakage. We are a medical device company and operate to highly regulated standards and processes, meaning that attention to quality and detail is essential. Working knowledge of ISO 13485 and ISO 9001 would be advantageous, if not training will be available.

Here at Viveca we are a small team with a great culture and can do attitude. We would love to hear from you if you think you are a ‘fit’ for this role, are excited to know more, and want to be part of a rapidly developing business with the opportunity and scope to progress within the company.

More on our company: Viveca Biomed is a medical device manufacturing company dedicated to bringing innovation to the female healthcare market. Based in Ashington, we are a small though growing team, and have launched a new female incontinence product aimed at health professional and consumer markets. We have just been approved by for prescription.

Our main product is Contrelle Activgard - see www.contrelle.com for more details

Job Type: Full-time
Salary: £37,500k+ per year
Based: Ashington, Northumberland
Contact: [email protected] / ​​0330 229 2160
Benefits: Company Pension

Application question(s): Engineering skills, Maintenance skills, Electronics and Pneumatics skills
To apply please send your CV and covering note to [email protected]

Read more at Pharmacy.Biz