Pregnancy and childbirth can damage a woman's pelvic floor. Your pelvic floor is known as the area ranging from your pubic bone to your tailbone. This area contains core bodily functions such as your uterus, vagina, bladder and bowels. Damage to this area can occur from a baby pushing down on these organs in utero, a uterine prolapse, or hormonal changes during pregnancy. Pregnancy hormones relax your ligaments and joints in your pelvic floor to prepare for childbirth, but in turn this can result in stress, damage, and weakness to your pelvic floor.
Think about all those times throughout pregnancy you had to pee. That was because your uterus was pushing downward on your bladder. Additionally, many women experience tears during childbirth resulting in the need for pelvic floor therapy to restore normal sexual function. The muscles in the pelvic floor tear or weaken and need professional therapy, healing, stretching and restoration to function properly again. Some women can experience incontinence with the bowels or bladder, prolapse, diastasis recti (abdominal muscles separating), painful intercourse or pain in the general pelvic region as a result of childbirth injuries on the pelvic floor.
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms it is time to seek a pelvic floor therapist. Your OB-GYN, or midwife can refer you to the best one. During your appointment, your therapist will assess your symptoms, discuss goals, and decide on the level of therapy required. Internal and external evaluation is typically required. Your pelvic floor therapist will have you lie on a table to examine the muscles of your pelvic floor with a gloved hand and lubrication. Assessing tenderness and massaging the sore muscles will ensure proper healing. Many of these muscles cannot be reached properly on your own.
External assessment can be done to evaluate the muscles surrounding the pelvic floor on the outside. Treatment will depend on the extent of the damage, and the symptoms you present with. Overall, stretching scar tissue, strengthening muscles, and stabilizing the area is the basic treatment. Your therapist can stretch the pelvic floor area during your visits and give you stretches to complete at home in between sessions. Dilators may be recommended to heal scar tissue following a tear from childbirth resulting in painful intercourse. Kegals may be recommended to strengthen pelvic floor muscles as well. Trigger point therapy can massage and release tension or pain in an isolated region. Bowel and bladder training can assist with incontinence. Other treatments can include electrical stimulation, acupuncture, yoga, heat and cold, etc. It all depends on the damage and need for certain treatment options.
In conclusion, your pelvic floor can be damaged through pregnancy and childbirth in many different ways. The important takeaway is that regardless of the damage or the severity, a pelvic floor therapist can assist you in your healing journey. Evaluation will be done to obtain a specialized treatment plan tailored to your needs.
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