Being active is an important part of looking after our health and wellbeing at every stage of life. Whether it’s walking, running, exercising at the gym, playing sport or keeping up with everyday activities, movement helps us stay healthy, connected and confident. Yet for many women, pelvic floor symptoms can influence how they experience and participate in physical activity.
During Women’s Health Week, Continence Health Australia is encouraging women to keep moving with confidence by learning more about their pelvic floor, recognising when something doesn’t feel right, and seeking support when they need it.
What the research tells us
Currently 1 in 3 women who participate in sport report pelvic floor symptoms.
Physiotherapist, researcher and educator Dr Jodie Dakic, Monash University, has explored women’s experiences of exercising with pelvic floor symptoms, including bladder leakage during physical activity. Her research found that pelvic floor symptoms can have a significant impact on participation in sport and exercise. Almost half (46%) stopped participating in at least one form of exercise because of pelvic floor symptoms, while more than half changed the way they exercised by reducing the intensity or frequency of activity, or switching to different forms of exercise. 1 Importantly, the impact was seen across all age groups, including younger women and women who had not had children.1
The research also highlighted some of the less visible considerations women can face when exercising with pelvic floor symptoms. Women described planning around access to toilets, thinking carefully about clothing, withholding fluid intake and worrying about whether other people might notice their symptoms such as bladder leakage.2
“Many women told us how frustrating it was when pelvic health symptoms stopped them from exercising the way they wanted to. They often had to carefully plan activities to avoid symptoms or change how they participated in sport. This affected their confidence and wellbeing, and for some women led to giving up sport altogether and feeling socially isolated.” Dr Jodie Dakic.
These findings highlight the importance of creating a positive and supportive culture around physical activity, where open and respectful conversations about pelvic floor symptoms such as incontinence help women feel less isolated, reduce stigma, and normalise conversations about symptoms that are common but treatable.
Understanding your pelvic floor
Your pelvic floor is part of your body’s support system. It helps support your bladder and bowel, contributes to sexual function, and plays an important role in movement and exercise.
A healthy pelvic floor can respond to the demands placed on it during daily activity, movement and exercise. This means being able to contract, relax, and lengthen the muscles when it is needed, while working in coordination with your breathing, abdominal muscles and the rest of your body.
The way your pelvic floor functions can change over time. Life stages such as pregnancy, birth and menopause, along with the demands of exercise and everyday movement, can influence how well it responds, supports your body during movement and manages abdominal pressure.
Why your pelvic floor matters
A healthy pelvic floor needs to be ‘responsive’. It needs to contract, relax and lengthen, and work with your breathing and core muscles. Like any exercise program, pelvic floor muscle training is most effective when it is designed for you.
Explore now
A healthy pelvic floor needs to be ‘responsive’. It needs to contract, relax and lengthen, and work with your breathing and core muscles. Like any exercise program, pelvic floor muscle training is most effective when it is designed for you.
Pelvic floor muscle training
Pelvic floor muscle training isn’t one-size-fits-all. Depending on your individual needs, pelvic floor muscle training involves exercise to build muscle strength, improving coordination or timing, learn how to relax the pelvic floor muscles, or a combination of these. Other management for pelvic floor symptoms may include advice on toileting habits, nutrition and fluid intake and products to support the pelvic floor. . A pelvic health physiotherapist or nurse continence specialist can assess how your pelvic floor is working and provide tailored advice and support. With pelvic floor muscle training and advice from a health professional, many pelvic health symptoms experienced during sport or exercise can be reduced or resolved, helping you continue participating in the activities you enjoy most.
“Pelvic health symptoms can make sport and exercise stressful, frustrating, and less enjoyable. But these symptoms are common, treatable, and not something you should have to accept. Seeking support from a health professional can help you stay active and continue enjoying the physical, social, and mental health benefits of sport and exercise.” Dr Jodie Dakic.
Keep doing the activities you enjoy
If you experience bladder or bowel leakage, urgency, difficulty emptying your bladder or bowel, pelvic pain, or a feeling of pelvic heaviness or pressure, support and treatment are available. Understanding your symptoms and getting the right advice can help you make informed decisions about physical activity, rather than simply avoiding the activities that trigger symptoms. Pelvic floor symptoms are common, but they are not something you have to put up with. This Women’s Health Week, we’re encouraging women to learn more about their pelvic floor, recognize when something doesn’t feel right and seek support when they need it. Because everyone deserves to keep moving with confidence.
References
1. Dakic JG, Cook J, Hay-Smith J, et al. Pelvic floor disorders stop women exercising: a survey of 4556 symptomatic women. J. Sci. Med. Sport. 2021; 24(12):1211-1217. DOI: 10.1016/j.jsams.2021.06.003.
2. Dakic, J. G., Hay-Smith, J., Lin, K.-Y., Cook, J., & Frawley, H. C. (2023). Experience of playing sport or exercising for women with pelvic floor symptoms: A qualitative study. Sports Medicine – Open, 9(25). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40798-023-00565-9
Pelvic floor exercises for women
Being active is an important part of looking after our health and wellbeing at every stage of life.
Women’s Health Week
Held in September each year, this Australia-wide event aims to help women make informed decisions about their health.