Beyond Kegels

The pelvic floor secrets a specialist wants you to know

For far too long, the pelvic floor has been something we label the enigma of the body. And it’s not hard to understand why.
It’s a muscle you can’t see and not many (if any) of us give ourselves an internal to feel for it.
But if it’s not functioning correctly, it can let you know. And therein lies the dilemma. No one ever really translates the signs of pelvic floor dysfunction. Two in three women will experience pelvic floor dysfunction, yet many will never reach out for treatment.
So, could you have pelvic floor dysfunction and not even realise? Yes. Is it too late to intervene? Never.

Pelvic floor 101
Your pelvic floor is a hammock-shaped muscle group that connects to either side of your pelvis (left and right) and your pubic bone and tailbone (front and back). One of its big jobs is to help support or provide the foundation to your pelvic organs, but it does so much more .
Your pelvic floor plays a role in your posture, athletic performance, and ability to remain continent (wee and poo!) and is key when it comes to your sex life (but, more on that later).
So, for a muscle group that is so historically elusive, the pelvic floor’s time to shine is well overdue.

Pelvic floor in athletes
It’s not just new mums and women in their 40s that can have pelvic floor dysfunction. Research found that female athletes in their 20s are one of the most at-risk groups for urine leakage (aka incontinence) . Like any other muscle in your body, your pelvic floor gets fatigued, so for women who play sports, there’s a higher chance that you’ll experience leakage. Whether it happens when you take a tackle on the footy field, while doing a deadlift in the gym or while dancing with your girlfriends, my motto is ‘although it’s common, it’s not normal’ – and you don’t have to live with it. Work with a core or pelvic floor clinic to strengthen them and don’t forget about the ‘R’ word – rest.
Give your pelvic floor muscles time off between your intense workouts so they have a chance to recover.

Perimenopause and the pelvic floor
During the perimenopausal stage, the drop in estrogen levels can lead to a whopping 30% loss of muscle tone. So if we have any underlying weakness, this is a time when it can really be exasperated. Women might find that they need to rush to the toilet, struggle with leakage and have issues when it comes to libido, arousal and orgasm .

Pelvic floor and the big-O
For a historically ‘unsexy’ topic, the pelvic floor sure does have a huge impact on your ability to orgasm. In fact, you pelvic floor plays a key role in your entire sexual experience from foreplay to climax.
Your pelvic floor’s first job is to tense during foreplay and keep blood in the vulval region. Then, it starts to contract and relax to intensify all the pleasurable sensations. This contraction and release increases your arousal and creates more friction during intercourse.
During orgasm, the pelvic floor muscles involuntary and rhythmically contract and relax; as a result, the super-congested veins will empty (which is where that feeling of release can come in!). The orgasm experience depends on the strength of the pelvic floor muscle contractions, so a well-trained pelvic floor contributes to a more intense sexual experience.

So what do I do now?
Now for the million-dollar question – what next? Now, if you struggle to remember your Kegels – fret not. There are other ways to strengthen your pelvic floor! There are also stretches you can do to help your pelvic floor relax, because like any muscle in your body, we need the pelvic floor to do both.
3 exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor

1. Goblet squat
2. Marching bridge
3. Bird dog
   3 stretches to release your pelvic floor
4. Child’s pose
5. Mermaid pose
6. Reclined butterfly sit

Finally, if you are struggling with symptoms like leaks (aka incontinence), lack of libido, painful sex, back pain, struggles climaxing or vaginal laxity, it might be related to your pelvic floor. In the Core Restore Co clinics, we use technology to treat pelvic floor weakness in less than 3 weeks and if you can’t make it to a Core Restore Co clinic, or a pelvic floor physio, don’t suffer in silence. Reach out to our team for help or chat to your GP.

Written by By Heather Foord. Heather is a passionate advocate for women’s health and owns Core Restore Co, a group of core and pelvic floor rehabilitation clinics across NSW. With degrees in Communications and Health Science, a Diploma in Pilates & Masters in Women’s Medicine Heather is currently enrolled in an Honours of Research to begin her PhD journey looking at new ways to treat pelvic floor dysfunction.

For the full article grab the December/January 2025 issue of Women’s Fitness Australia from newsagents and convenience locations. Subscribe here.