Some women have never heard of their pelvic floor until pregnancy, some do not even hear about the importance of the pelvic floor till after they have given birth. Regardless of what life stage you are at – puberty, teenage, pregnancy, postnatal, menopause – all women should know what the pelvic floor is, what it does, what is normal and what is not so normal.
What is it and what does it do?
It is a complex web of organs, muscles, ligaments, fascia and muscles which sits inside the pelvis. It spans from the base of the tail bone to the pubic bone, and between our ‘sitting bones’. It is the bottom of us, therefore known as the floor of the pelvis. All of the structures play vital roles in our body’s functioning such as:
- Keeps closure around the rectum and urethra to prevent urine and poo leakage
- Relaxes to allow urine leakage and defecation without straining
- Provides upward support to all of our pelvic organs which are the uterus, bladder and bowel
- Provides sensation required for sexual intercourse
- Provides muscle activation to achieve an orgasm
- Functions with the rest of our core (diaphragm, abdominals) to assist in stability and mobility of the spine, pelvis, rib cage
Did you know during childbirth the pelvic floor is required to stretch more than 3 times its normal length? It is truly remarkable, and therefore it requires good activation AND relaxation in order to achieve this. Would if you could learn all of this prior to giving birth?
This is one of the main reasons we encourage all women to have a pelvic floor assessment so we can help them identify where the muscles are, how to activate them properly and how to relax them properly. This is specifically important in the pregnancy and postnatal life stage. We can teach you different strategies to achieve stretching and lengthening in preparation for birth and teach you how to look after your pelvic floor after delivery.