Pelvic Floor Muscles Pregnancy

Pregnancy and childbirth can cause the pelvic floor muscles to weaken and so can other factors like age obesity heavy lifting and chronic coughing.

Pelvic floor muscles pregnancy.

Having tight or strong pelvic floor muscles is unlikely to affect your ability to have a vaginal birth bø et al 2013 but it may lead to pelvic girdle pain pelvic partnership 2017. This loosening along with your growing baby pressing on your bladder may cause you to leak urine when you cough laugh sneeze or exercise. Basic pelvic floor exercises maintain muscle tone in the pelvis and promote recovery after pregnancy and delivery. Once you know how to do kegel exercises you can do them anytime and anywhere.

These muscles are a pregnant woman s best friend says julie tupler r n creator of. Doing pelvic floor exercises will strengthen these muscles and. An easy way to describe a woman s pelvic floor muscles is as a supportive muscular sling. Pregnancy and pelvic floor exercises.

Your pelvic floor muscles may be compensating for joints and muscles that aren t working properly in your pelvis. The exercises will lower your chance of experiencing incontinence after having your baby. Pelaez et al 2013. Weak pelvic floor muscles can cause.

Pregnancy pelvic floor exercises. During your pregnancy your pelvic floor muscles will loosen due to hormonal changes in your body. If you re pregnant or planning to get pregnant you can start doing pelvic floor exercises immediately. When you re pregnant the payoffs for developing strong abdominal and pelvic floor muscles are plentiful.

What are my pelvic floor muscles. Pregnancy pelvic floor exercises are also commonly called kegel exercises. Hay smith et al 2008. Pelvic floor exercises can also prevent prolapse which is where the pelvic organs drop down into the vagina hay smith and dumoulin 2006.

Why pelvic floor exercises are important. Find out more in exercise in pregnancy. These muscles support the uterus bowel and bladder as well as enveloping the urethra rectum and vagina. Doing pelvic floor muscle exercises kegels from early pregnancy onwards can stop those accidental wees in late pregnancy and within six months of childbirth.