Pelvic Health 101

Dive into the hidden superpowers of pelvic floor muscles for women's health. Learn how what these unsung heroes are, how they impact your day to day and find out why they need to be strong and supple.

Let’s talk about lady parts known as your pelvic floor. Many of us have heard of them, but what are they, and what do they need to stay strong and fit? Taking care of your pelvic floor can help you function like a kid who can drink a gallon of milk and then jump on a trampoline without worrying when you last went to the bathroom. Maybe you can jump without worrying about when you last peed right now, and if so, great! But to keep it that way, we need to understand a few things about what sits at the bottom of the pelvis and helps us control our bladder and so much more.

I know talking about your female parts can be uncomfortable. Talking about them is probably uncomfortable because most of us have never had a good, honest conversation with our mothers about what is different for girls and why. Our mothers might not have actually known, and our grandmothers probably only got how babies were made on their wedding night. Ideally, each generation is building a space where we can ask what is normal, but this can only really start if you understand what is normal.

Pelvic floor problems are common BUT ARE NOT NORMAL.

Understanding what is normal and how to get things back to where they should be can only happen in a safe space.

• You should have a safe space to ask if you can do something about peeing a little bit when you cough.

• You should have a safe space to ask why something is bulging out when you wipe (a possible sign of a prolapse).

• You should have a safe space to ask how to decrease pelvic pain with exams from an OBGYN and intimacy.

• You should have a safe space to find out how to recover from childbirth or prepare for birth.

However, maybe you are reading this because you don’t have that safe space. If so, welcome friend! Congratulations on taking this step toward understanding. I am honored that you are choosing to help take care of YOU🙌.

What is the Pelvic Floor?

The first thing we should know about pelvic wellness is that a group of muscles is called the pelvic floor. It is essential to keep these muscles strong AND flexible to avoid problems. These problems can occur for women and girls before they have babies, after they have babies, and as they age—even if they never had babies. Your pelvic floor muscles are attached to your pelvis and are shaped like a basket. 

A basket…kind of like what sits inside your pelvis bone but not rigid and stiff…obviously😁

Below is a picture of your pelvis cut in half. The muscles in blue are a part of your pelvic floor. Your bladder is the round thing on top of the blue muscles, and the uterus sits on top of the bladder. The tube running down from the uterus is your vaginal canal, and the tube running down from the bladder is your urethra. These tubes “poke” through the blue muscles and a few other muscles not pictured that makeup three thin layers of muscles that make up your pelvic floor (more on those layers later). These muscles are attached to the pelvis bone. They lift and hold up your bladder, rectum, and reproductive organs literally like a basket. They need to be strong and flexible because they lift up and support while still allowing things like urine and babies to pass through. If your pelvic floor isn’t working together, you’re likely experiencing painful or embarrassing symptoms. 

*photo credit visible body software

Understanding a Bit of How the Pelvic Floor Works

When the pelvic floor is in tip-top shape, it helps your abdominal muscles control any incoming pressure from the top of the abdomen (like from that cough, sneeze, or laugh). The control allows the pressure to be controlled so that pressure from the top doesn’t put all the pressure on the bladder, rectum, and reproductive organs. Much like other muscles in the body, the pelvic floor muscles can weaken and stop doing what they’re supposed to do unless you maintain their strength regularly.

A pelvic floor in good shape can also relax when it needs to in order to prevent pain from intimacy, urine leakage, and generalized pain in the pelvis. A tense pelvic floor can be just as challenging as one that isn’t strong. What is worse, because most people believe that weakness is the only issue, you might be doing the wrong thing by strengthening it more (more on this in my next article).

Understanding your pelvic floor is not just for women who are over 30 years old. It is equally important for girls involved in regular physical activity (which should be all girls) to understand the pelvic floor to maintain strength and function. Research shows that up to half of young female athletes experience some level of urinary leakage when doing their sport.😳

The Core of the Matter

You won't see your pelvic floor flexing in the mirror, but trust me, it is the most valuable player in the game of bodily functions for women. It is important for it to be strong and flexible, just like any other muscle in the body. It may not be visible in the mirror, but the pelvic floor plays a crucial role in women's bodily functions. It is essential for the muscle to be strong and flexible, just like any other muscle in the body. In the upcoming article, I will guide you to evaluate if your pelvic muscles are too weak or too tight. This assessment will help you identify what will be helpful to address your specific pelvic health needs.

D.I.G. Deep

Get Deliberate:

Want something practical to work on until you read the next post? Check on last week’s article by clicking here. OR check out this super fun pelvic health therapist who gets you doing your Kegals in a fun way.

Get Inspired:

Often, when we want to start doing something for ourselves, like making time for pelvic floor training, it is great to picture WHY and WHAT it will help you become. I would say about .0006% of us work out ONLY because it is good for us. The rest of us work out because we like the way we look when we work out or the way we feel when we work out. Picture the future you. What is that future you doing because you will take the time to work on your pelvic floor🤔🤔❔❔

Are you running or jumping without wondering when you went pee last? What are you doing, and how do you feel? The more real you can make it, the better positive motivation you will have.

Get Going:

Subscribe! Yes, I know that is cheesy, but I will keep these posts coming so you and everyone with a pelvic floor has a better understanding of what it is and how to help it. Even men have a pelvic floor, so really this is everyone you know who is human.

*pelvic health buddy makes sure you are stretching and strengthening your “down there” on a regular basis. Your conversations will surely provide some interesting tidbits for those around you.