Rosie Dumbrell

Updated March 2026

Women’s incontinence: a widespread condition too often overlooked

Worldwide, more than 200 million women live with incontinence, a condition that cuts across age and circumstance. For some women, symptoms emerge after childbirth, with 50% experiencing pelvic prolapse. For others, incontinence may not be directly connected to pregnancy: almost 30% of female athletes leak during sport and three-quarters of women over 65 live with pelvic symptoms. 

But while physiotherapy can restore strength and function, steep costs and limited availability create a barrier. Instead, many turn to solutions that manage symptoms not cause, including disposable incontinence products which, in Rosie Dumbrell’s home country of Australia, can cost women the equivalent of up to $1,200 USD a year, adding a financial burden to an already distressing condition. 

As a women’s physiotherapist and a parent, Rosie has a personal and professional perspective. After experiencing postpartum prolapse herself, the Melbourne-based mother of four was shocked about how poorly existing products met women’s needs. “Traditional compression garments bind the abdomen,” she says, “but they forget about the pelvic floor.”

They also overlook wearers’ dignity. Rosie recalls buying a leading product that “didn’t work and looked awful. Full of pregnancy hormones I just burst into tears.” 

The moment stayed with her: “I knew women deserved better.” From that conviction, Everform Therapywear was born.

Supporting recovery at the source

Rosie founded Everform Therapywear in 2023 to offer an accessible, affordable alternative — one that supports recovery at its source, rather than simply masking symptoms. Motivated by this guiding principle, she and her team, including a designer with 20 years’ experience in women’s apparel and supportive garments, set out to create a product designed specifically for pelvic recovery. 

A long and demanding development journey resulted in its patented FemmeCore™ medical-grade compression technology. Instead of squeezing the abdomen, Everform garments using this technology gently lift and support the pelvic floor, connective tissue and pelvic organs.

Small changes can make a profound difference. Research shows that a bladder neck lift of just 4.6 millimeters can determine whether a woman experiences leakage. Everform products are designed with this in mind, based on what clinicians call the “hammock theory.”

Rosie explains the principle using an architectural analogy. “Only part of pelvic support comes from muscle. The rest is from connective tissue — tendons and ligaments. Think of muscles as the foundation of a house, bones as the bricks and connective tissue as the mortar that holds everything together. Everform provides that structural support.”

Addressing a key concern for many women, Everform also prioritizes design, with garments that look and feel like everyday underwear. “You can wear them in any situation without anyone noticing,” Rosie says.

Reclaiming confidence while reducing waste

Rosie stresses that physiotherapy remains the gold standard, which is why Everform also focuses on lowering barriers to care through advisory sessions on its online store. In 2024 alone, more than 20,000 women accessed these, most from remote parts of Australia, who typically lack specialist support. By 2028, Rosie aims to reach one million women.

Meanwhile, Everform Therapywear garments are transforming not only women’s physical health but their sense of self. As Rosie knows from lived experience “Loss of bladder control affects far more than physical comfort: it erodes confidence and quietly reshapes daily life.” Some women, she elaborates, stop playing with their children for fear of leaking. Many abandon running or team sports. Others approach work events or social gatherings with anxiety, planning every movement around the nearest bathroom. What should be ordinary moments become calculated risks.

Rosie and her team are giving women back those moments: the young mother who wrote in to say she can run again without anxiety; another who described the joy of falling asleep on the couch while watching TV, confident that her body won’t let her down.

Moreover, the ripple effects extend beyond individual wellbeing. By reducing reliance on disposable incontinence products, Everform expects to divert 750,000 pads from landfill each year — lightening both personal and planetary loads.