The pelvic floor is a group of muscles and other tissues forming a sling —
a hammock — across the pelvis. In women it holds the **uterus, bladder, bowel
and other pelvic organs** in place so they work properly.
It can become weak, or be injured. **The main causes are pregnancy and
childbirth.** Others: being overweight, radiation treatment, surgery, and
getting older.
The symptoms, which look like three different problems
This is what makes pelvic floor disorders easy to miss — the complaints sit in
categories people do not connect.
Sensation
- Heaviness, fullness, pulling or aching in the vagina — **worse by the end of
the day, or during a bowel movement** - Seeing or feeling a bulge, or "something coming out" of the vagina
Urinary
- Difficulty starting to urinate, or emptying the bladder completely
- Frequent urinary tract infections
- Leaking urine when you cough, laugh or exercise
- An urgent or frequent need to urinate
- Pain while urinating
Bowel
- Leaking stool, or difficulty controlling gas
- Constipation
- Difficulty making it to the bathroom in time
Presented one at a time to a provider, several of these get treated
separately. The heaviness that worsens through the day is the sign that ties
them together.
Diagnosis and treatment
A provider diagnoses it with a physical exam, a pelvic exam, or
special tests.
| Treatment | |
|---|---|
| Kegel exercises | Special pelvic muscle exercises — the first line |
| A pessary | A mechanical support device that helps some women |
| Surgery and medicines | Where those are not enough |
*Source: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, via
MedlinePlus.*
Licence: CC0 1.0 (public domain) · Adapted from medlineplus.gov
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