Importance of the pelvic floor: 'Half of pregnant women suffer from urinary incontinence'

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Importance of the pelvic floor: 'Half of pregnant women suffer from urinary incontinence'
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Importance of the pelvic floor: 'Half of pregnant women suffer from urinary incontinence'

Keeping your pelvic floor in shape is very important, they say, especially during and after pregnancy. But why? What exactly do those pelvic floor muscles do, where exactly are they located and how can you train your pelvic floor?

Why is the pelvic floor so important?

“More than 50% of pregnant women experience urine loss at some point and one in three mothers continues to experience this after pregnancy,” says pelvic floor expert Hedwig Neels. What's more: “One in eight also experiences stool loss after childbirth and as many as half of women experience a pelvic floor prolapse problem.” Training your pelvic floor and keeping it in top shape is therefore important to avoid numerous problems.

Hedwig Neels is a postdoctoral researcher and pelvic floor physiotherapist at the University of Antwerp and the UZA. She is also the initiator and driving force behind The Pelvic Floor, a platform with reliable and bite-sized information about urinary incontinence, bowel problems, Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POP), vaginal flatulence and sexual problems. The aim is to inform the general public and to limit the negative impact on social, mental, professional and sporting life.

Also read: Urinary incontinence during and after pregnancy

What is the pelvic floor?

The pelvis is a kind of funnel of bones. The bladder, uterus, vagina and the end of the intestine lie in the pelvis. Or rather: they hang with ligaments and connective tissue from the bones of the pelvis and other membranes in the lower abdomen. These ligaments are made of connective tissue and ligaments. At the bottom, the pelvic floor consists of various muscles (divided into superficial and deeper muscle layers). The pelvic floor is therefore a complex whole of muscles, connective tissue, nerve fibres and vascular tissue, which closes the bottom of the funnel and the organs in the pelvis. The pelvic floor has an opening for the urethra, vagina and anus.

What does the pelvic floor do?

The pelvic floor has several functions:

it provides support to the organs in the abdominal cavity, such as the intestines, bladder and uterus
she controls the sphincters: the pelvic floor plays an important role in urination and defecation. For example, relaxation is needed to be able to urinate and defecate.
It absorbs the pressure differences that arise in the abdominal cavity when laughing, sneezing, coughing, etc.
she has a sexual function. The contraction of the pelvic floor plays a role in experiencing sexual feelings. The orgasm itself consists of a number of rhythmic contractions of the pelvic floor muscles.

Also read: Exercises to strengthen your pelvic floor

How can you learn to feel your pelvic floor muscles?

Your pelvic floor muscles run from your pubic bone to your tailbone and from one ischial tuberosity to the other. You can consciously contract and relax them. You can try to feel them when you go to the toilet with a full bladder by interrupting your urine stream for a moment. Does the stream stop or does it become a bit less? Then you are doing that with your pelvic floor muscles.

Also read: Pelvic floor problems in women

Also read: The Pelvic Floor: Identify and address pelvic floor problems with the free Selfcheck

Sources:

Also read: Pain during sex: causes, symptoms and treatment

Last updated: April 2023

Importance of the pelvic floor: 'Half of pregnant women suffer from urinary incontinence'

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