{"id":7316,"date":"2023-09-10T23:22:03","date_gmt":"2023-09-10T16:22:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=7316"},"modified":"2023-09-10T23:22:03","modified_gmt":"2023-09-10T16:22:03","slug":"your-pelvic-floor-and-pregnancy-what-really-happens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=7316","title":{"rendered":"Your Pelvic Floor and Pregnancy: What Really Happens"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"drop-cap text-big text-gray\"> <span class=\"drop-cap__first text-dropcap \">Y<\/span>ou\u2019ve probably heard at some point about the importance of having a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/pelvic-floor-tips\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/pelvic-floor-tips\/\">strong pelvic floor<\/a>\u2014that is, the muscles that support your bladder, uterus, and bowels. There\u2019s also a lot of chatter online about how pregnancy and childbirth can weaken your pelvic floor, potentially <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/what-causes-pelvic-floor-dysfunction\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/what-causes-pelvic-floor-dysfunction\/\">creating issues<\/a> for you.<\/div>\n<p>Those problems can include struggling with incontinence (i.e. peeing yourself), holding back gas, and, in more severe cases, dealing with a health condition called uterine prolapse, which is where the uterus actually slips down into the vagina or protrudes out it, explains<a href=\"https:\/\/pelvicrehab.com\/practitioner\/cora-biese-pt-dpt-prpc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/pelvicrehab.com\/practitioner\/cora-biese-pt-dpt-prpc\/\"> Cora Biese, DPT, PRPC,<\/a> a physical therapist at Corewell Health who\u2019s certified in pelvic floor rehab.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<div class=\"experts-in-article noskim py-[24px] px-[40px]\">\n<p>Experts In This Article<\/p>\n<ul class=\"!ml-[18px]\">\n<li> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/womenshealthbyashley\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/womenshealthbyashley\/\">Ashley Rawlins, DPT<\/a>, doctor of physical therapy specializing in women\u2019s health <\/li>\n<li> <a href=\"https:\/\/pelvicrehab.com\/practitioner\/cora-biese-pt-dpt-prpc\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/pelvicrehab.com\/practitioner\/cora-biese-pt-dpt-prpc\/\">Cora Biese, DPT, PRPC<\/a>, physical therapist at Corewell Health who\u2019s certified in pelvic floor rehab <\/li>\n<li> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.drstreicher.com\/about\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.drstreicher.com\/about\">Lauren Streicher, MD<\/a>, OB\/GYN and author of <a href=\"https:\/\/clicks.trx-hub.com\/xid\/leafgroup_ca5e0_wellgood?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FSex-Rx-Hormones-Health-Your%2Fdp%2F0062301527%2F%3Ftag%3D%26asc_refurl%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.wellandgood.com%252Fpelvic-floor-and-pregnancy%252F%26asc_source%3Ddirect%26asc_campaign%3Dno-campaign&amp;p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wellandgood.com%2Fpelvic-floor-and-pregnancy%2F&amp;event_type=click\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Sex-Rx-Hormones-Health-Your\/dp\/0062301527\/\"><em>Sex Rx-Hormones, Health, and Your Best Sex Ever<\/em><\/a> <\/li>\n<li> <a href=\"https:\/\/wexnermedical.osu.edu\/find-a-doctor\/lisa-hickman-md-53576\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/wexnermedical.osu.edu\/find-a-doctor\/lisa-hickman-md-53576\">Lisa Hickman, MD<\/a>, an OB\/GYN at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center <\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<hr\/>\n<p>Despite all that, pelvic floor health information isn\u2019t something that\u2019s regularly discussed, even at your doctor&#8217;s office. \u201cMost women don\u2019t even know that they have a pelvic floor, let alone if it&#8217;s working for them,\u201d says <a href=\"https:\/\/wexnermedical.osu.edu\/find-a-doctor\/lisa-hickman-md-53576\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/wexnermedical.osu.edu\/find-a-doctor\/lisa-hickman-md-53576\">Lisa Hickman, MD,<\/a> an OB\/GYN at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. \u201cIt\u2019s often not even on their radar until it&#8217;s a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re pregnant or thinking about trying to become pregnant in the near future, it\u2019s understandable to have questions about what actually happens to your pelvic floor during this time of massive change in the body. Here, OB\/GYNs and pelvic floor physical therapists break it down.<\/p>\n<div class=\"related-content \" style=\"\" data-module-init=\"related-content\" data-module-immediate=\"\" v-cloak=\"\">\n<div class=\"related-content__wrapper \" v-cloak=\"\" :class=\"{'is-loaded':isLoaded}\">\n<p> <span class=\"inline pr-6 text-seafoam-dark\">Related Stories<\/span> <\/p>\n<p> <related-content class=\"related-content__links\" parent-article-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/pelvic-floor-and-pregnancy\/\" current-title=\"What Really Happens to Your Pelvic Floor During Pregnancy and Childbirth?\" current-image=\"GettyImages-pelvic-floor-and-pregnancy-425x285.jpg\" v-on:parsely-posts-loaded=\"onPostsLoaded\" start-date=\"2023-03-10\" tag=\"div\" inline-template=\"\" url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/pelvic-floor-and-pregnancy\/\" secret=\"w5ztterVB03LGZJLfXS0hf3EvQBuFFIWew9hmVQxthU\" apikey=\"wellandgood.com\" limit=\"3\"> <\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"related-content__card mb-[10px] sm:mb-[20px]\" :class=\"{'related-content__card--full':posts.length === 1}\" v-for=\"(post, key) in posts\"> <a v-on:click.prevent=\"trackLinkGA($event, key)\" :href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/pelvic-floor-and-pregnancy\/post.url\" data-url-source=\"related-content\" class=\"related-content__link\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"\"> <\/p>\n<div class=\"related-content__card--image bg-tan\" :style=\"{ backgroundImage: 'url(' + post.image_url + ')' }\"> <img :src=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/pelvic-floor-and-pregnancy\/post.image_url\" :alt=\"post.title\"\/> <\/div>\n<p> <\/a>  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <\/related-content> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<h2>How can you tell if your pelvic floor is weak?<\/h2>\n<p>It can be tricky to tell if you\u2019re lacking strength down below. \u201cSometimes you don\u2019t know if your pelvic floor has problems,\u201d says <a href=\"https:\/\/www.drstreicher.com\/about\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.drstreicher.com\/about\">Lauren Streicher, MD<\/a>, a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.feinberg.northwestern.edu\/sites\/obgyn\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.feinberg.northwestern.edu\/sites\/obgyn\/\">Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine<\/a>. &#8220;There are people that don\u2019t have a perfectly healthy pelvic floor but don\u2019t have noticeable issues.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The best way to truly understand your pelvic floor status is to see a pelvic floor physical therapist for an evaluation, says <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theoriginway.com\/about\/dr-ashley-rawlins-pt-dpt\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.theoriginway.com\/about\/dr-ashley-rawlins-pt-dpt\">Ashley Rawlins, DPT<\/a>, pelvic physical therapist and clinical specialist at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theoriginway.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.theoriginway.com\/\">Origin<\/a>. But there are certain symptoms that can clue you in that your pelvic floor isn\u2019t as strong as it could be. According to Dr. Rawlins, those include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Bladder leakage<\/li>\n<li>Bowel leakage<\/li>\n<li>Having trouble holding back gas<\/li>\n<li>Feeling like you\u2019re falling out down there<\/li>\n<li>Low back or pelvic pain<\/li>\n<li>Decreased sensation or trouble orgasming during sex<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>How does pregnancy and childbirth impact your pelvic floor?<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cPregnancy is at the top of the list for risk factors for pelvic floor problems,\u201d Dr. Streicher says. \u201cPregnancy is a big stress test for the pelvic floor.\u201d According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org\/hometown-health\/speaking-of-health\/pregnancy-and-pelvic-floor-health\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org\/hometown-health\/speaking-of-health\/pregnancy-and-pelvic-floor-health\">Mayo Clinic<\/a>, around 50 percent of pregnant people struggle with symptoms of pelvic floor disorders.<\/p>\n<p>Your entire body changes and adjusts during pregnancy to help you grow and give birth to a baby, Dr. Rawlins points out, noting that elements like posture adjustments, softening joints, and a wider pelvis can all impact your pelvic floor health. \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/32473515\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/32473515\/\">Research shows<\/a> that your pelvic floor can soften and change shape during pregnancy, which can impact the integrity and performance of the tissues, leaving you at risk for pelvic floor muscle injury,\u201d Dr. Rawlins says.<\/p>\n<p>The extra weight of the fetus and placenta add stress on the pelvic floor muscles, according to the Mayo Clinic, and straining from constipation (which is all too common in pregnancy, particularly the third trimester) can also weaken the pelvic floor muscles and nerves. Meanwhile, the hormone relaxin, which is secreted to help the pelvis open up enough to pass a baby, also leads to additional instability in the pelvic floor.<\/p>\n<p>Childbirth also puts stress on your pelvic floor muscles, whether you have a vaginal or C-section delivery, Rawlins says. \u201cDuring a vaginal delivery, the pelvic floor muscles have to stretch several times their natural length in order to accommodate the baby\u2019s head, and it has been shown that <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/19445799\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/19445799\/\">up to 85 percent of birthing people<\/a> experience some sort of perineal injury during vaginal child birth as a result of the forces and strain placed on it during delivery,\u201d Dr. Rawlins says. That can have an impact on your pelvic floor strength, she says. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC3877300\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC3877300\/\">Studies<\/a> show that those who have had more than one vaginal delivery are at greater risk for pelvic floor dysfunction.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCesarean sections aren\u2019t protective for developing pelvic floor dysfunction either,\u201d Dr. Rawlins says. \u201cWhile weakness is less likely, <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/25605464\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/25605464\/\">research has shown<\/a> that muscle pain and dyspareunia (pain during sex) are more common for those in the first year after a cesarean.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>How to prepare your pelvic floor for pregnancy and childbirth<\/h2>\n<p>Hickman says it\u2019s important for anyone with a vagina to work on strengthening their pelvic floor. \u201cThe most simple way is to do <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/common-kegel-exercise-mistakes\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/common-kegel-exercise-mistakes\/\">Kegel squeezes<\/a>, like you&#8217;re trying to pick up a marble with the vaginal muscles,\u201d she says. This is even something you can do after you become pregnant, Hickman adds.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re already going into pregnancy with signs of a weak pelvic floor, Rawlins recommends doing pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT). \u201cThis <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cochranelibrary.com\/cdsr\/doi\/10.1002\/14651858.CD007471.pub4\/full\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.cochranelibrary.com\/cdsr\/doi\/10.1002\/14651858.CD007471.pub4\/full\">has been shown<\/a> to reduce the chances of developing incontinence in pregnancy and in the postpartum [period],\u201d she says. (Note: This is something you\u2019ll need to consult a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/pelvic-floor-therapy-what-expect\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/pelvic-floor-therapy-what-expect\/\">pelvic floor physical therapist<\/a> about to make sure you\u2019re doing correctly.)<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou also want to make sure that, in addition to strengthening your pelvic floor, you want to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/pelvic-floor-stretches\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/pelvic-floor-stretches\/\">work on its flexibility<\/a> as your due date approaches,\u201d Dr. Rawlins says. \u201cFlexibility is not only important for optimal strength\u2014a tight pelvic floor can also be weak, as tightness can inhibit a muscle\u2019s ability to transmit force\u2014but flexibility is imperative in minimizing pelvic floor birth injuries as well.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Signs to consider seeing a pelvic floor therapist after giving birth<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cIn a perfect world, everyone would see a pelvic floor therapist routinely after giving birth,\u201d Dr. Streicher says. \u201cBut that&#8217;s not realistic and it isn\u2019t going to happen.\u201d Still, there is a laundry list of more urgent reasons to see a pelvic floor therapist after delivery. Dr. Biese breaks it down:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Leaking pee<\/li>\n<li>Bowel leakage<\/li>\n<li>Pelvic pain (internal or external)<\/li>\n<li>Constipation or pain when you try to poop<\/li>\n<li>Trouble returning to normal activity after you give birth<\/li>\n<li>Pain in your back, pubic area, tailbone, or hips<\/li>\n<li>Vaginal heaviness and pressure<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you\u2019re experiencing any of this, Dr. Biese recommends contacting your OB\/GYN to ask for a referral to a pelvic floor physical therapist or simply contacting one directly. She also notes that you don\u2019t need to wait six weeks to see a physical therapist after giving birth, even though that\u2019s sometimes thought of as the typical timeline. \u201cThere is no one-size-fits-all for postpartum recovery,\u201d Dr. Biese says.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Rawlins agrees. \u201cPelvic physical therapy is safe to start as soon as you are able to be home to recover,\u201d she says. \u201cIt is never too early or too late to see a pelvic physical therapist to improve your pelvic floor health.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-citations mt-[40px] mb-[30px]\" data-module-init=\"main-2020\/post-citations\" data-module-immediate=\"true\">\n<hr class=\"!border-seafoam-dark mb-[24px]\"\/>\n<div class=\"post-citations-content flex flex-col gap-[24px]\">\n<p>Well+Good articles reference scientific, reliable, recent, robust studies to back up the information we share. You can trust us along your wellness journey.<\/p>\n<div>\n<ol class=\"!ml-[18px] !mt-0\">\n<li>\n              Routzong, Megan R et al. \u201cPelvic floor shape variations during pregnancy and after vaginal delivery.\u201d\u00a0<i>Computer methods and programs in biomedicine<\/i>\u00a0vol. 194 (2020): 105516. doi:10.1016\/j.cmpb.2020.105516            <\/li>\n<li>\n              Kettle, Chris, and Susan Tohill. \u201cPerineal care.\u201d\u00a0<i>BMJ clinical evidence<\/i>\u00a0vol. 2008 1401. 24 Sep. 2008            <\/li>\n<li>\n              Memon, Hafsa U, and Victoria L Handa. \u201cVaginal childbirth and pelvic floor disorders.\u201d\u00a0<i>Women\u2019s health (London, England)<\/i>\u00a0vol. 9,3 (2013): 265-77; quiz 276-7. doi:10.2217\/whe.13.17            <\/li>\n<li>\n              McDonald, E A et al. \u201cDyspareunia and childbirth: a prospective cohort study.\u201d\u00a0<i>BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology<\/i>\u00a0vol. 122,5 (2015): 672-9. doi:10.1111\/1471-0528.13263            <\/li>\n<li>\n              Woodley SJ et al. \u201cPelvic floor muscle training for preventing and treating urinary and faecal incontinence in antenatal and postnatal women.\u201d <em>Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews<\/em> Issue 5 (2020): CD007471. doi:10.1002\/14651858.CD007471.pub4.            <\/li>\n<\/ol><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<hr class=\"!border-seafoam-dark mt-[24px]\"\/>\n  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async defer src=\"https:\/\/platform.instagram.com\/en_US\/embeds.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1675549\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You\u2019ve probably heard at some point about the importance of having a strong pelvic floor\u2014that is, the muscles that support your bladder, uterus, and bowels. There\u2019s also a lot of chatter online about how pregnancy and childbirth can weaken your pelvic floor, potentially creating issues for you. Those problems can include struggling with incontinence (i.e. &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":7317,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7316","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7316","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7316"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7316\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7317"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7316"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7316"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7316"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}