The important lady muscle!

Women's health needs to be front and centre – it often isn't, but it needs to be.

Cynthia Nixon

If a little bit of wee comes out when you laugh, sneeze, run – you need to read this!

I’m very fortunate to share my home with two wonderful people, people that were lodgers but have transcended friends and are my beautiful sisters. One of my sisters Helen, is a consultant physiotherapist who focuses on Pelvic Health. Now we all know the importance of the pelvic floor muscle and we all know how to keep it in tip top condition right? Well, wrong apparently, the number of people, men included that have dysfunctional bowl and bladder problems, not to mention dysfunctional sexual function, that Helen sees is unbelievable so, I thought I’d take the opportunity to give you a little information about, perhaps one of the most remarkable muscles in the body!

Where is the Pelvic Floor?

Your pelvic floor (PF) is a group of muscles and ligaments which sit across the bottom of your pelvis and, essentially, your PF is there to prevent your guts falling out! It’s pretty simple but ridiculously complex all at the same time – mainly because it’s such a private, sensitive and vulnerable part of a woman.

What should it do?

It should keep you dry when you’re moving, exercising, laughing, coughing or sneezing and it allows you to fully empty your bladder and bowels when you go to the toilet. It also helps with a good sex life.

Do men have PF’s?

Yep, they sure do. But they don’t have a vagina, babies or go through the menopause, (bastids!) – all of which makes the female pelvic floor a bit more susceptible to “issues”.

What are the symptoms that indicate it’s not working so well?

Wetting yourself, lower back pain, painful sex, struggling to insert or hold in tampons, feelings of heaviness, pelvic pain, unable to control wind and bowel incontinence – and this is why you have to look after it, it’s a pretty grim list right!

I’m really scared that if I go to my GP, they will send me for surgery.

First of all, nobody can send you for surgery, it’s totally your choice. However, this is a concern for many women. Don’t be worried, go and visit your GP sooner rather than later and, remember, there is no way you should be told to have surgery without trying more conservative approaches first. And that’s not just me saying this – it’s what the NICE guidelines say #physiofirst.

OK, so I have some of those symptoms but they’re not that bad and I’m just really embarrassed about it all. Who’s the nicest person I can go to?

This is a really common question. It takes women seven years, on average, to talk to their GP. I’d suggest you go to your GP first or try to make an appointment with a local Women’s Health Practitioner. It can be hard talking about this stuff so if you think you’ll bottle it, write down your concerns, be as specific as you can and give that to your GP.

I only leak a bit and just when I’m running, so can’t I just ignore this?

Nope, you can’t ignore this! Well, you can – but my advice is that you shouldn’t. Leaking is a sign that your body is not effectively managing what you’re asking it to do. Sadly, unlike our teeth, we can’t replace our pelvic floor, so we need it to last for as long as possible and the sooner you get on it the better – although it’s never too late!

PF exercises are so boring, is there not a quick fix?

Sorry, no. You’ll find plenty of products and procedures out there which claim to be ‘the solution’ but there is no magic bullet when it comes to your pelvic floor. It does such a lot of fundamental stuff and it needs our daily attention.

How often do I need to do my exercises and how do I do them?

If you have no issues, then once a day every day is a good place to start. Use the NHS Squeezy App and watch this video to help you work out how to do them. If you’re experiencing any issues at all, go and see a WHP – either privately or through your GP, to help you get on track.

A big thank you to Helen for pointing me in the right direction for this post! Hopefully it gives you a bit of an insight and what to do to seek help and support should you need to!

What’s on this week?