What is Pelvic Health? 
Pelvic health is defined as the best possible functioning and management of the bladder, bowel and reproductive organs.  
Your pelvic floor muscles are a group of muscles positioned at the bottom of your pelvis that lift and support the position and function of your pelvic organs, prevent incontinence of bladder and bowel and is also important in sexual function. Ideally these muscles should be strong, coordinated and flexible but this isn’t always the case. When these muscles aren’t working together in a way that they should, issues arise and that’s what is called pelvic floor dysfunction. Pelvic floor concerns can look different to everyone, for some its associated with back or hip pain, other with light bladder leakage, prolapse symptoms, pain with sexual activities etc. Pelvic health issues can greatly affect people’s quality of life. 
 
So, what can go wrong here? 
Pelvic health issues can arise at any stage of your life and do not discriminate with age; however, some conditions are more common in certain age groups. There are many different types of conditions that can occur with pelvic floor dysfunction used as an umbrella term to cover things like muscle spasms, weaknesses as well as other issues. 

Some more commonly seen conditions are: 
 
– Urinary incontinence  
People who experience accidental or involuntary loss of urine from the bladder may be suffering from urinary incontinence. 
Two more common types of urinary incontinence are stress induced, and urge induced. 
Stress induced is where you have leakage whilst doing an activity that increases abdominal pressure, such as coughing, sneezing or laughing. Whilst urge incontinence is where there is a sudden intense urge to urinate followed by an involuntary loss of urine. 
 
– Pelvic Organ prolapse  
This is when pelvic organs, such as the bladder, uterus or rectum descend into the vaginal area. This condition is a result of weakness/ tearing or stretching for the pelvic floor muscles/ support system. More commonly seen in women post- pregnancy, menopause, or with a history of chronic cough or constipation. Some symptoms include, vaginal bulge, perineal pressure, issues with emptying bladder/ bowel, urinary and faecal incontinence, low back pain and sexual dysfunction 
 
– Pelvic pain 
Pelvic pain refers to any pain that is felt in the lowest part of the stomach and above your legs. Pelvic pain can be acute or chronic, with estimated 1 in 5 women in Australia experiencing pelvic pain most days for six months or more. 

Some common conditions that cause pelvic pain are: 

-Period pain 
-Endometriosis 
-Adenomyosis 
-Irritable bowel syndrome 
-Pelvic muscle pain 
-Bladder pain & urinary tract infections 
-Vulval pain 
 
– Post pregnancy
Pregnancy and childbirth put a tremendous amount of pressure on the pelvic floor, which can sometimes result in a weakened pelvic floor or in some cases it can create increased tension, with each leading to a different set of symptoms. Not to mention other issues/ injuries that can happen to your pelvic floor during childbirth, such as use of tools for delivery assistance, episiotomy’s etc. These can lead to symptoms such as sexual dysfunction, pelvic pain and incontinence just to name a few. 

Prioritising your pelvic health is essential for overall well-being. If you are experiencing any symptoms or have worries about your pelvic health, you are not alone. It can be scary acknowledging and addressing your pelvic health concerns but the sooner you get on top of your symptoms the sooner we can get you back to living a better quality of life. 

References

Pelvic floor muscles. Continence Foundation of Australia. (n.d.). https://www.continence.org.au/about-continence/continence-health/pelvic-floor  

Pelvic floor dysfunction: A closer look at urinary incontinence and… Jean Hailes. (n.d.). https://www.jeanhailes.org.au/news/pelvic-floor-dysfunction-a-closer-look-at-urinary-incontinence-and-prolapse