Pelvic Floor Muscles Help Organs in your Pelvis
According to the Cleveland Clinic, it’s important to work on your pelvic floor muscles, as this helps support your bladder, bowel, and internal reproductive organs.
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These muscles weaken over time, either due to aging or injury, which is why it is important for everyone, especially if you are about to or have recently given birth, to do the correct pelvic floor exercises to ensure these bodily functions are working as they should.
A Weakened Pelvic Floor Can Lead to Serious Issues
Having a weakened pelvic floor isn’t just about having issues such as incontinence, as it can lead to some quite serious health issues.
Source: Canva
One of these issues is having an organ prolapse, which means that one of the pelvic organs will drop down into the vaginal canal and may even possibly stick out of the vagina.
There Is No Education Regarding the Pelvic Floor
Despite many individuals going through childbirth, not many of them are made aware of what they can do to help their pelvic floor until after they have given birth.
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Forbes reported that 25% of U.S. women have issues with their pelvic floor, yet many of those women have received little to no education on how they could have avoided those issues.
Brittany Mahomes Aims to Raise Awareness
Brittany Mahomes is a mother to two children and has recently shared on her Instagram story how her pelvic floor has affected her.
Source: @brittanylynne/Instagram
She urged her followers, especially those who have had children, to look after their pelvic floor, and ended the post with, “from a girl with a fractured back,” as reported by NBC News.
Pelvic Floor Problems Are Related to Back Issues
Some people might be confused about how having problems with your pelvic floor can relate to having back issues, but doctors have said that this does happen.
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Dr. Roger Dmochowski told NBC News that women are likely to develop issues with both if they have been through pregnancy and childbirth.
Most Pelvic Floor Issues Happen in Older Women
It is important to start working on pelvic floor exercises sooner rather than later, as the National Institutes of Health reports that it is older women who suffer most from it.
Source: Canva
Only 9.7% of women ages 20 to 39 had issues with their pelvic floor, compared to 49.7% who were 80 years or older.
Women Should Learn the Early Symptoms of Pelvic Floor Issues
Due to a lack of education, it might be difficult for women to spot the early signs of having issues with their pelvic floor.
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One of the first signs is either a loss of urine or an overactive bladder. However, sometimes there are no symptoms, and the issue will only be discovered if a woman goes to the doctor for an examination.
Pelvic Floor Issues Worsen as They Progress
Just like most health problems, pelvic floor issues worsen as they progress, which is why it is best to get it checked out as soon as you first notice the symptoms.
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As the prolapse starts to happen, you might notice that either the rectum, bladder, or uterus, and sometimes all three, end up falling into the vagina, which can be quite painful.
Pelvic Floor Exercises Are Simple to Do
Those who are not used to going to the gym or who live busy lifestyles might think that they don’t have time for pelvic floor exercises.
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Doing pelvic floor exercises can even be as simple as contracting and then relaxing your bladder while you are out driving to help strengthen the pelvic muscles.
Some Women Might Need Physical Therapy
While for some it might be as simple as carrying out pelvic floor exercises on their own, others might need physical therapy.
Source: Canva
However, physical therapy for pelvic floor issues currently isn’t an option in the U.S. It is only offered in exceptional circumstances, such as if a woman went through a difficult childbirth delivery.
Some Pelvic Floor Issues Require Surgery
In the most severe cases, likely whenever a woman has a prolapse, surgery will be required to fix things.
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Johns Hopkins Medicine states that the surgery is known as laparoscopic colposuspension. It is minimally invasive and reconstructs the pelvic floor.
The Lesson Is to Start Pelvic Floor Exercises Early
Due to the lack of education, many women are unlikely to have done this, but to preserve your pelvic floor, it’s best to start doing the exercises early.
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Pericoach states that women can start doing pelvic floor exercises as early as their 20s, regardless of whether they are pregnant or have given birth. However, it is generally recommended to start them once you find out you are pregnant to get into the practice of doing pelvic floor exercises before you get to a stage where problems can occur.