Do You Know What Pelvic Floor Dysfunction Is?

Today we’re going to talk about a problem that plagues many women (and as I learned today, men as well). We’re talking about pelvic floor dysfunction or PFD. It’s such a common issue that in fact, that it’s estimated more than 28 million women in the US suffer from it, diagnosed or undiagnosed.

Generally, women become aware of their pelvic floor muscles during pregnancy or after giving birth — and while these can certainly trigger issues with your pelvic floor (more on this in the next post on pelvic floor health), some can develop PFD independent from childbirth and pregnancy. To be fair, it’s not usually fodder for small talk. But, given how often it occurs…perhaps it should be?

And since PFD can manifest itself in many ways, many women can spend years of their adulthood not knowing anything is wrong. Today, we’re going to draw back the veil. I spoke to pelvic floor specialist, Dr. Kristin Sapienza, PT, DPT of FemFirstHealth, to learn more about this commonplace issue.

What exactly is pelvic floor dysfunction? Are there different kinds?

Pelvic floor dysfunction is somewhat of an umbrella term that encompasses pain and/or weakness of your pelvic floor. Some examples of pelvic floor dysfunction include:

Pain with sex
Leakage of urine/stool with or without awareness
Constipation or frequent bowel movements during the day
Ongoing pain in your pelvic region or genitals

How do I know if I have pelvic floor dysfunction?

Some of the causes may include certain medical conditions such as Endometriosis or Crohn’s Disease. Trauma may also affect your pelvic floor, such as from an accident creating nerve damage, or the effects from childbirth. There is a lot of stress on your pelvic floor to hold up your organs and the baby during pregnancy. Additionally anything can happen to your pelvic floor during your delivery, potentially creating more trauma.

Let’s not forget that men have a pelvic floor as well. Men suffer from pelvic floor issues such as erectile dysfunction, urinary frequency and urgency, urinary and bowel incontinence, chronic pelvic pain, as well as issues with their prostate. Pelvic floor physical therapy can help with these issues as well, so men can return to their lives without having these issues affect their quality of life.

How is can this issue be treated?

In order to be able to treat these symptoms, you can seek the help from a Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist. These individuals have specialized training in these areas to help individuals to alleviate pain or regain function. Since your pelvic floor is made up of muscles; those muscles need to be able to contract and relax your sphincters properly at certain times to perform bodily functions.

What can I expect when I visit a specialist for these problems?

A visit to a pelvic floor physical therapist involves having a discussion of your detailed medical history so they can help find the cause of your issues. They may also perform an internal exam to assess how your muscles are working so you can start making changes as part of a home exercise program. If you would like to see a pelvic floor physical therapist it’s also necessary to see your primary care physician or an OB/GYN to get a physical therapy script.

Is there any other information I should know about pelvic floor dysfunction?

To sum it all up, if you experience pelvic pain, pain with sex, or bowel and bladder issues, you need to get help for it. These symptoms are not normal and could later snowball into other problems. Make an appointment to see your doctor and a pelvic floor physical therapist to get you back on track. If you need to find a pelvic floor physical therapist, you can find one on pelvicrehab.com

Stay in touch! Follow me on Instagram and Facebook to be the first to know when I post.

(Featured photo: Sean Kong/Unsplash)