As we celebrate Mother’s Day this month, it’s an opportune time to delve into the journey of women’s health, particularly focusing on pelvic floor wellness across the many stages women will experience in their lifetime.
Women can be empowered through tangible education and care provided by pelvic floor therapists at Spooner to help them continue doing the activities they love from adolescence through pregnancy, postpartum, and beyond!
Adolescence to Motherhood: A Journey of Women’s Health
Women’s pelvic health encompasses a diverse range of concerns, and the journey begins in adolescence and young adulthood. During this phase, many women experience pelvic pain and menstrual discomfort, which can significantly impact their quality of life. However, these issues can often be dismissed societally as “normal” parts of being a woman, leading to a lack of awareness of treatment options. Women of any age can be empowered by knowing that pelvic floor therapy can be used to alleviate menstrual discomfort or pelvic pain, leading to a better quality of life.
Typically, challenges women experience in young adulthood will only be exasperated by pregnancy if not cared for early on, so pelvic floor therapists encourage women to see a provider early on to establish care and create a baseline so that when new life events like pregnancy occur, your provider can continue to help you achieve your goals and transition into motherhood smoothly!
Pregnancy and Postpartum: Navigating Transitions with Pelvic Floor Care
The journey of women’s pelvic health undergoes significant changes during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Pregnancy places immense strain on the pelvic floor, leading to a range of challenges such as pelvic pain, urinary incontinence, and pelvic organ prolapse. Despite the prevalence of these challenges, many women are unaware of the importance of pelvic health during pregnancy and postpartum.
Just as lifting weights can help to build arm strength, pelvic floor therapy can help to strengthen the muscles of the pelvic floor and support women during pregnancy. During pregnancy, these exercises can help strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, support the growing uterus, and prepare the body for childbirth. Studies show that performing kegels, or pelvic floor contractions, can help decrease time in labor!
To learn about if kegels are right for you, read, “Kegels Aren’t Always the Answer.”
During postpartum, pelvic floor exercises aid in recovery, reducing the risk of complications. Mom just put in lots of hard work and deserves her care to be prioritized, just as any other major surgery would be. A C-section, for example, is a major abdominal surgery. Any other major abdominal surgery would come with a recommendation of multiple weeks of physical therapy. Therefore, we should consider childbirth the same!
Going into motherhood and life after delivery, urinary incontinence is also a frequent challenge that women experience. Childbirth is not the only cause of incontinence, but if you are experiencing this at any stage in life, it can be treated by working with a physical therapist to strengthen the pelvic floor.
There for your every need at every stage
No matter the stage of life you are in, physical therapy for the pelvic floor can help to increase strength and provide smooth transitions through the different phases of a woman’s life. Contact us today for a complimentary movement assessment to see how a Spooner pelvic floor therapist can help you achieve your goals.