The 101 on Pelvic Floor Muscles For Women

Just like any other muscle, your pelvic floor muscles can become stronger or weaker depending on a variety of factors. However, unlike other muscles in the body, it can be significantly more difficult to gauge your pelvic floor muscle’s strength due to where they’re located in the body. Spoiler alert: you can’t just pick up a weight and see how much these muscles can hold.  But the strength of your pelvic floor plays a huge role in your overall health and wellness, and sexual function. It should not be overlooked but how is this possible when it can’t really be “looked” at? We have you covered with everything you need to know about pelvic floor muscles for women’s health.

What are Pelvic Floor Muscles and What Do They Do?

First things first, what are pelvic floor muscles? You may have heard this term lately because people are finally talking about them! It’s like a trend… Only one that should never go anywhere because your pelvic floor muscles are super important.

Put simply, pelvic floor muscles support the bladder, uterus, and bowel (and vagina, in women). These muscles are located in the pelvis at the base, between your tailbone and pubic bone and are important for bladder and bowel control, as well as sexual function.

Why are Pelvic Floor Muscles Important?

As mentioned, your pelvic floor muscles support your bladder, bowel and uterus, and understanding their importance of them can be as simple as understanding the five main purposes, which are:

1. Prevent incontinence (leaking) of the bladder and bowel
2. ​Supporting the pelvic organs, such as the bladder, rectum and uterus
3. ​Stabilizing the pelvis and hips
4. ​Helping you achieve arousal and orgasm (knowing how to relax the pelvic floor is essential for penetration)
5. ​Moving blood and lymph through the pelvis and toward the heart

Maintaining your pelvic floor muscle strength can also promote blood vessel health, which enhances blood flow to the pelvic tissue and nerve supply to promote positive vaginal health.

What Happens When the Pelvic Floor Muscles are Weak?

On the contrary, if your pelvic floor muscles are weakened and not functioning well, your internal organs aren’t provided with full support. This can result in a loss of control of your bladder and bowels, which can result in urine or feces leaking or uncontrollable passing of gas. 

Weak pelvic floor muscles can also affect your sexual health and satisfaction. This can cause a reduction in vagina sensation, painful sex, and pain in the vulva.

In some cases, the muscles can become so weak that a prolapse occurs. This is when the internal organs that are (or should be) supported by the pelvic floor slide down to the vagina, causing deep aching in the vagina area and a distinct bulge.

Here’s a quick recap of the possible effects of a weakened pelvic floor:

• Lack of support for internal organs
• Loss of bladder and bowel control
• Decreased sexual health and satisfaction
• Reduced vagina sensation
• Painful sex
• Vulvar pain
• Uterine prolapse

Factors that can Weaken Pelvic Floor Muscles

The muscles that make up your pelvic floor can become weakened by a variety of factors, with the most common causes being age, pregnancy, childbirth, obesity and chronic constipation. These are often due to the pressure that is placed on the bladder, bowel or uterus. For example, supporting the weight of the uterus during pregnancy, the pressure of obesity or overstretching the muscles during childbirth can all lead to a weakened pelvic floor.

Some other possible factors include:

• Chronic constipation or straining to poo
• Constant coughing
• Traumatic injury to the pelvic area
• Some forms of pelvic surgery
• Lower levels of estrogen after menopause
• Tension caused by painful periods
• Endometriosis

Signs your Pelvic Floor Muscles are Weakened

Unfortunately, it can be quite difficult to determine the strength of your pelvic floor. After all, you can’t just pick up a weight and see how much you can hold. However, there are some clear signs and symptoms that your pelvic floor muscles aren’t up to snuff. For example, not only will they not be able to perform the essential functions mentioned previously, but you may also experience the following common symptoms of a weak pelvic floor:

• Leaking urine when you cough, sneeze, laugh, exercise or put some type of pressure on the uterus
• Experiencing urgency to urinate (you might not even make it to the bathroom in time)
• Frequent urination frequently
• Constipation or straining to go to the bathroom
• Painful urination
• Lower back pain
• Feeling drooping, bulging, heaviness or discomfort in the rectum or vagina area
• Experiencing pain in the pelvic are
• Feeling pain or discomfort during sexual intercourse

How to Test if Your Pelvic Floor Muscles Are Strong

If you still aren’t sure if a weak pelvic floor is what you’re experiencing, there are some tests that can be performed. The best option is to get an internal vaginal exam performed by a doctor who specializes in pelvic health. However, there are two self-assessment tests you can do at home to get a general idea of what you’re dealing with.

Method One: Internal Vaginal Self-Assessment

1. Lie down on your back and bend your knees, or lie on your side with a pillow between your knees for comfort
2. With a clean index finger, insert it into the vaginal canal to the base of your middle knuckle.
3. Contract/flex your pelvic floor (the same action as when you “stop urine flow”)

If your pelvic floor is strong, you should feel a squeeze and an upward “lift”. You should also be able to hold this contraction of the muscles for 10 seconds.

Method Two: External Self-Assessment

1. Lie down on your back and bend your knees, or lie on your side with a pillow between your knees for comfort
2. Place four fingers over the area between the vaginal canal and the rectum
3. Contract/flex your pelvic floor (the same action as when you “stop urine flow”)

If your pelvic floor muscles are strong, the area where your fingers are should ‘lift’. You should also be able to hold this contraction of the muscles for 10 seconds.

How to Strengthen Your Pelvic Floor

Perhaps you’ve completed the self-assessments mentioned above and did not experience the ‘lift’ you were expecting. There’s no need to panic. One of the amazing things about the pelvic floor is that, just like any other muscle in the body, it can be strengthened with the right exercises. This includes each section and muscle involved in the vagina, uterus and rectum.

Before starting, you may want to familiarize yourself with the muscles you’ll be working with. This can be done with the self-assessment methods above or with more specific action to identify the individual sphincters:

• Identifying vaginal muscles: – insert one or two fingers into your vagina and try to squeeze them
• Identifying urethral muscles: – imagine the action of trying to stop the flow of urine in midstream
• Identifying anal muscles: imagine the action of trying to stop yourself from passing gas and squeezing tightly

Now that you are aware of the three areas (and sensations) that make up your pelvic floor, there are a variety of exercises you can do to begin strengthening them.

Kegels

Kegels are a form of exercise that strengthen the pelvic floor. They consist of movements that repeatedly contract and relax the muscles. The best part? You can do them pretty much anytime, anywhere, whether you’re sitting or standing.

1. Flex your pelvic floor as if you are stopping the flow of urine
2. Hold for 2 seconds
3. Release and relax for 2 seconds
4. Repeat

Your goal is to be able to hold the flex of these muscles for 10 seconds, for 10 to 15 reps.

Ball Squeeze

Another simple exercise that can work wonders for strengthening your pelvic floor is the ball squeeze. To do this movement, you will need some type of yoga block, soccer ball or object to hold in between your knees.

1. Sit in a chair or lie on your back or side with your feet on the floor and knees bent 90 degrees
2. Place your object, such as a soccer ball, yoga block or thick pillow between the knees.
3. Using your inner thighs, squeeze the ball, while simultaneously contracting your pelvic floor simultaneously.
4. Hold for 3 to 5 seconds.

Your goal is to be able to hold the squeeze for 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps. You can also add in a bridge, whether you contract your glutes and raise your hips off the ground for a more intense workout.

For more pelvic floor muscles, consider starting an online program or taking a class that combines a series of exercises into a fun system. It’s like going to the gym, for your vagina. We recommend the Pelvic Floor Strong System and the Female Vitality Blueprint programs.

Home exercises can be incredibly helpful, especially since they can be done quickly and easily. However, if you have any concerns, it may be best to see a pelvic health specialist.