Pee & Poo & The Pelvic Floor

The Pelvic Floor has a number of jobs but the ones we’re going to focus on here are:

1. Keeping Things In 

2. Letting Things Out

The Pelvic Floor Muscles (PFM) must be able to relax enough to allow the flow of urine and the release of feces.  If the PFM are too tight, your urine stream could be weak or altered and you may have difficulty defecating.  If the PFM are too weak, this could lead to what’s called a Pelvic Organ Prolapse, where one organ within the pelvic cavity starts to slip down into the vaginal canal.  So we’re looking for the perfect balance of strength and flexibility.  Let’s see how this relates to urine and feces.

Urinary leakage is typically thought as a problem due to weakness in the PFM, though this is often not the case.  Sometimes, the PFM are actually too TIGHT and cannot contract anymore to stop the flow of urine.  In this case, you’d have to LENGTHEN the muscles before you STRENGTHEN them.  You could also have a case where one side of the pelvic floor is tight or weak affecting your urinary stream.  Tightness within the PFM can also mimic signs and symptoms of a Urinary Tract Infection because of the compression of the urethral opening.  

When it comes to bowel movements, constipation is a big problem for the pelvic floor.  If you are constipated, you are forced to bear down and strain causing excess pressure on the pelvic floor.  This is what can lead to a Pelvic Organ Prolapse.  

The two BEST things you can do to keep your bladder and bowels happy is to drink around half of your body weight in ounces of water and exercise!  This will keep your bowels moving which in turn will place less pressure on both your bladder and your pelvic floor.  

Women with urinary leakage tend to reduce their fluid intake, but you may need to focus on which fluids you're taking in.  Some very common drinks and foods can actually be what is called Bladder Irritants.  These aggravate the bladder and cause increased urinary frequency and urgency.  

While all of this can be very overwhelming, don’t worry!  I’m here to help!  At Empower Women’s Health we will answer any and all questions and educate you on how to care for your pelvic floor to prevent problems in the future!  

Be sure to check out this week’s Facebook and Instagram posts for more information on bladder and bowel habits for a happy and healthy pelvic floor!

Yours In Pelvic Health,

Danielle