| The pelvic floor muscles are
located between your legs, and run from your pubic bone at
the front to the base of your spine at the back. They are in
the shape of a sling and hold your bladder and urethra (the
tube that urine comes out of) in place.
The pelvic floor muscles are give you control over your
bladder and are used to urinate. They relax at the same time
as the bladder contracts (tightens) in order to let the
urine out.
Keeping pelvic floor muscles strong
As you get older, your pelvic floor muscles get weaker.
Women who have had children may also find they have weaker
pelvic floor muscles.
Weakened pelvic muscles can cause problems, such as
urinary incontinence (being unable to control when you pass
urine) and reduced sensitivity (feeling) during sex.
Stress incontinence is a type of urinary incontinence
where small amounts of urine leak out during an activity.
However, doing pelvic floor exercises can help to improve
stress incontinence by keeping your pelvic muscles strong.
Both men and women can do pelvic floor exercises.
How to do pelvic floor exercises
You can feel your pelvic floor muscles if you try to stop
the flow of urine when you go to the toilet.
To strengthen your pelvic floor muscles, sit comfortably
and squeeze the muscles 10-15 times in a row. Avoid holding
your breath, or tightening your stomach, buttock, or thigh,
muscles, at the same time.
When you get used to doing pelvic floor exercises, you
can try holding each squeeze for a few seconds. Every week,
you can add more squeezes, but be careful not to overdo it,
and always have a rest in between sets of squeezes.
After a few months, you should start to notice the
results. Your incontinence should improve, as well as the
sensitivity you experience during sex. You should carry on
doing the exercises, even when you notice them starting to
work.
Pregnancy
If you are pregnant, or planning to get pregnant, you can
start doing pelvic floor exercises straight away. The
exercises will decrease your chances of experiencing
incontinence after having your baby.
Sex
For women, as well helping to improve symptoms of urinary
incontinence, strong pelvic floor muscles can also mean
increased sensitivity during sex and stronger orgasms.
A recent study suggests that pelvic floor exercises may
also benefit men with problems, such as erectile dysfunction
(difficulty in getting, or keeping, an erection) and
incontinence. |
