Aoife Harvey, physiotherapist and women’s pelvic health specialist, joined Anna Geary on Supercharged to discuss pelvic floor health. Listen back above.
Pelvic floor dysfunction can affect over 50% of women in their lifetime, yet the topic can still feel overlooked.
Dysfunction occurs when the muscles in your pelvic region fail to relax, tighten, or coordinate properly. This can lead to a myriad of symptoms, including painful intercourse, bladder leaking, prolapse, and bowel issues.
According to physiotherapist Aoife Harvey, this can result in habits like “toilet mapping”, whereby the person suffering is constantly keeping track of available bathrooms in case of an emergency.
They may also avoid a number of social activities like sports, dancing, or even getting out for a walk with friends.
“A lot of women, as they age, their symptoms can worsen,” the physiotherapist explains, noting that women over 50 are most likely to suffer as they lose oestrogen and collagen.
“Vaginal oestrogen is the first thing women should think of, 40+, if your pelvic floor symptoms are getting worse,” she states.
For those under 40, pelvic floor issues can come about following childbirth.
When this happens, Harvey says that many women end up blaming and shaming themselves, but insists that they should be much kinder to themselves.
“All you did was grow the next generation of humans!” she reminds listeners.
As well as incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse – when one or more of the organs move down from their normal position and bulge into your vagina – can occur following birth.
“Prolapse is in about 50% of women after they have had vaginal births,” she says. “It doesn’t develop in everyone, and when you’ve had a baby, you might not even have known you had it.”
In most cases, treatment will include vaginal oestrogen and silicone pessaries, which Harvey refers to as “a sports bra for your vagina”.
No matter your age or the reasoning behind your pelvic floor issues, Harvey insists that the first step is to book an in-person assessment with a medical professional.
From there, a course of treatment will be determined, with remedies ranging from at-home exercises to a special chair that delivers high-intensity electromagnetic energy that encourages pelvic floor contractions.
One movement that may be beneficial to many is a Kegel. These are simple muscle movements that strengthen the pelvic floor muscles and, ideally, improve bladder control.
The tricky part is knowing how to do one.
Harvey uses the example of sucking a thick milkshake through a straw.
“Think of the entrance of the vagina being like your mouth,” she explains. “You want a good pull up”.
Drawing that movement up towards your belly button, you want to hold it for 10 seconds – but be sure to avoid holding your breath.
A pelvic floor specialist will assess to ensure you are doing the movement correctly, and some specialised weighted devices can really put your muscles to the test.
“We want to get functional,” she explains. “We don’t want to just do them lying down, we want you going up the stairs or running, we want to see can you jump or lunge while holding your pelvic floor.”
Although Harvey admits the exercises can be “boring”, she insists that they should be done daily for 12 weeks.
To learn more about pelvic floor health, listen back to the full discussion above.
If you have any health concerns, contact your GP. For more information, visit HSE.ie.