During class, I do my best to bring up the importance of pelvic floor health. A study done to forecast the prevalence of pelvic floor disorders in U.S women: 2010-2050 found that “The number of American women with at least one pelvic floor disorder will increase from 28.1 million in 2010 to 43.8 million in 2050. During this time period, the number of women with UI will increase 55% from 18.3 million to 28.4 million. For fecal incontinence, the number of affected women will increase 59% from 10.6 to 16.8 million, and the number of women with POP will increase 46% from 3.3 to 4.9 million. The highest projections for 2050 estimate that 58.2 million women will have at least one pelvic floor disorder, with 41.3 million with UI, 25.3 million with fecal incontinence, and 9.2 million with POP.”
FYI: UI= Urinary Incontinence (leaking) POP= Pelvic Organ Prolapse (stuff can fall out) and some peeps will experience milder forms of pelvic floor issues like pain during sex and general discomfort in the pelvic girdle.
That’s a lot of us out there who are dealing with pelvic floor issues, y’all! And the increase anticipated over the next few years is alarming… how can you take a proactive approach with your pelvic floor health?
Educate yourself! It’s up to you to get the (correct) information that’s out there. I love the NCBI database… here is a link to the study I referenced above https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19935030 which will also show you related studies and get you on your way with some excellent reading within the database:)
Meet with a Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist! This is a PT that has specialized training/certification in pelvic floor health (not all general PT’s have this education so make sure you’re working with a specialist)
Talk about it! Clearly, this is not a unique struggle… look at those numbers! Millions of women are dealing with this. The more we talk about it, share with each other, ask questions- the more we can normalize the conversation and improve services and offerings to support each other.
Understand the importance of how your daily alignment plays into pelvic floor health, and how doing kegels is not a one-size-fits-all remedy (it could be making it worse!)
I’ll continue to discuss these things in class as often as I can- don’t hesitate to ask me questions! If you don’t want to ask during class, send me an email or a text. I love talking about this stuff and the more people I can share this with the better:
You don’t have to put up with pelvic floor discomfort! Peeing your pants not “just a part of having a baby” and you CAN do something to improve function and your way of life:) Let’s find you the help you need.