Pelvic Floor: Preventing Problems
The pelvic floor is the collection of muscles and other tissues that supports your bladder, rectum, uterus and other internal organs. Many women experience pelvic floor problems (also called pelvic floor dysfunction) in pregnancy, around the time of birth and/or later in life, including leaking urine (urinary incontinence), leaking gas or feces (bowel incontinence), sexual dissatisfaction and a sagging of the inner organs (uterine and other pelvic organ prolapse).
These days, there is a lot of conflicting and confusing information about the cause of pelvic floor problems. To help make your own decisions about ways to prevent and cope with pelvic floor problems, this section of the website provides reliable, research-based information on this topic.
Understand the pelvic floor’s purpose and how it is affected by pregnancy and birth.
Read about how to prepare for giving birth to minimize or prevent pelvic floor problems.
Learn more about the relationship between various common labor practices and pelvic floor function.