Better Health Channel
betterhealth.vic.gov.au Department of Health
betterhealth.vic.gov.au Department of Health
  • The pelvic floor muscles support the bladder, uterus, and bowel. Pelvic floor muscles support the bladder, bowel and the uterus. They prevent incontinence of bladder and bowel, prolapse and are also important in sexual function.
  • The pelvic floor can be weakened by pregnancy, childbirth, prostate cancer treatment, obesity and the straining of chronic constipation. Pelvic floor muscle changes, which can lead to issues, can be caused by pregnancy, childbirth, obesity, chronic constipation or prostate cancer surgery.
  • You can have problems related to your bladder, bowel or sexual function due to pelvic floor muscles being too weak or too slow, and not having the strength or quickness to work well for you.
  • Pelvic floor exercises are designed to improve muscle strength. You can also have problems with your pelvic floor if they are working too hard, or overactive. Strong muscles are flexible muscles. This can also affect women who have not had children, women with painful periods or endometriosis, and men who have pelvic pain or chronic prostatitis.
  • Other problems with having a weak but overactive pelvic floor for all genders are pain with sex, pain with urination or bowel pain. Pelvic pain is common, but not normal and can be treated

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Reviewed on: 04-10-2021