Photos: Nicola Wilhelmsen. Hair & make-up: Louise Dignan.
We’ll get to her award-winning stand-up show in a minute. And why, between punchlines, she passes around crocheted “lady bits” to audience members. But first, clinical psychologist-turned-comedian Nicola Brown explains why she no longer lifts heavy weights or runs. It’s all part of her story tackling a “taboo” issue.
“I was told I had a bladder prolapse just after I gave birth to my son 17 years ago,” shares Nicola Brown. “It was minor and didn’t cause me much strife. I thought that’s just how it is when you have a baby and things change.
“However, in my late forties, I started noticing more symptoms. I was having trouble with my bowel function not working as it normally would. There was also some urinary leakage if I sneezed more than three times. But I just put this down to the price of getting older.
“I had this horrible feeling of dragging heaviness in my pelvis that got worse as the day went on. Any kind of standing for long periods of time also felt really uncomfortable.”
Usually fit and active, Nicola had to stop uphill walks and dancing due to the debilitating internal drama she was experiencing. Then, at yoga class, the mum-of-one was doing a squat pose when she felt a “horrible, tearing sensation” inside of her, unlike anything she had ever experienced.
Nicola, who lives in Dunedin with her wife Ros MacGill and their son Flynn, was diagnosed with pudendal neuralgia, a pelvic nerve injury.
“In the process of investigating that, a gynaecologist told me I had three organ prolapses – my uterus, bladder and bowel,” she recalls. “I’ve since learned that many women will experience some degree of pelvic organ prolapse (POP), which is when organs shift from their normal positions and bulge into or out of the vagina.
“The statistics vary between three and 50 percent of women, depending on whether it’s defined by people noticing symptoms or vaginal examination. “I was shocked by this because I’ve been a clinical psychologist for 25 years and mostly work with women, who reveal the most intimate, frustrating things – and yet not one client had talked about it.”
Like many, she struggled to find clear information and support, even as a healthcare professional herself. It wasn’t something that had ever been covered in health education and she realised just how many women secretly dealt with the same thing.
That led the 53-year-old to create Space Invaders – named because three of her pelvic organs weren’t in the correct spaces – a stand-up show that splices comedy with much-needed education about POP.
Nicola Brown is unashamedly evangelical about breaking through the discomfort and initiating conversations that should have been happening all along. She offers facts, personal stories and laughs while never downplaying the real impact of the condition.
“Initially, I felt like I couldn’t talk about it with anyone,” she admits. “It was just too embarrassing and I thought I’d done something wrong to cause it. I now find it empowering to use humour to talk about it.
“And this isn’t older- women-incontinence comedy – that makes me cringe. I make light of my own experiences and some of the very funny things that have happened as I’ve been seeking help for POP.”
For Space Invaders, Nicola Brown had different crocheted pelvic organs made to show the audience what she’s talking about in a fun way. “Actually, I had to make two crocheted clitorises because one keeps going missing – which is metaphorical in itself!” she laughs.
Two years ago, Nicola ended up having surgery for her condition. It took six months to recover from fully and has enabled her to dance again.
“I’m grateful surgery has given me a better quality of life. But I’m realistic it may not last and I’m very cautious about what activities I do now,” she admits. “I only lift light weights, swim and do reformer Pilates.
“My surgeon told me to be sensible about high-intensity exercise. I didn’t realise that my body needed better support, such as using things like pessaries. Which are little silicone support bras for your internal organs.”
Nicola mentions that she thought she was making her comedy show mainly for women. But the number of men who came up to talk to her afterwards surprised her.
“They’ve said multiple times, ‘You have helped me to understand my wife or my mother so much better,’” says Nicola. Who is currently participating in research at Otago University investigating the part that genetics plays in POP.
Next month, the comedian is performing at the Wānaka Festival of Colour in True Stories Told Live: History Repeats.
“I like my comedy to have a purpose,” explains Nicola. “There will be laughs, but I hope people see elements of their own lives in my story.”
The Wānaka Festival of Colour is on Friday, April 4. Visit festivalofcolour.co.nz or follow her on Instagram @ItsNicolaBrown. If you’re concerned about pelvic organ prolapse, contact a pelvic floor physiotherapist.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
