Pelvic Health and Alignment

See Pelvic Organ Prolapse: Part 1 for information on what a prolapse is and some of the causing factors.  What can be done about it? !!Prevention!!:  As the support of the muscles underneath the pelvic organs decreases, the strain on the ligaments holding them increases and they eventually stretch beyond the point of no return. Ensuring good body alignment and m aintaining pelvic health and function of the muscles is key at any stage of life, but essential  during your pregnancy and leading up to delivery. Restoring optimal function of the core abdominal muscles and learning how to properly relax the pelvic floor muscles for bowel movements can help to decrease the overall pushing and strain required. Preparing your body for pregnancy to increase the space in the pelvic outlet (obstetrical conjugate) and yield of the pelvic floor muscles can help to decrease the amount of force required to get the baby out ( read less Valsava-ing ), as well as prevent perineal tea...

The risk of Pelvic Organ Prolapse can increase with pregnancy and vaginal delivery, however may occur even without any pregnancies and can even happen to men! What is it?  'Prolapse' comes from the latin word prolabi which means "to fall out". Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POP) involves the descent of the pelvic organs; the bladder, bowel or uterus, into the vaginal space.  The degree of prolapse is measured on a scale of 0-4, determined by how much the organs have moved toward the opening of the vagina or if they are protruding outside the body. This may be observed by your family doctor, OB/GYN, birth professional or pelvic health physiotherapist by asking you to cough or hold your breath and bear down for 8 seconds to determine the extent of the prolapse.  The female pelvic anatomy (larger pelvic outlet and open space of the vagina) combined with our upright posture makes women particularly vulnerable to this condition. However, men can also experience similar ...

Vaginismus can be another cause of pain with intercourse and can sometimes prevent any kind of penetrative sex. What is it? Vaginismus is the involuntary reflexive contraction of the pelvic floor muscles (in particular those around the vaginal opening) in response to attempted penetration, whether it be from a tampon, speculum or penis. You may or may not experience any pain with this. The muscular response can vary from a slight contraction but still allow for penetration (albeit usually uncomfortable or painful) or completely close the vagina to not allow any penetration at all. For the partner, it can feel like 'running into a brick wall' when the muscles are so firmly contracted. Vaginismus may or may not be experienced in combination with Vestibulodynia . What causes it? There is not always a obvious cause of vaginismus. In a lot of cases it is a learned response of the muscles due to a painful experience with penetration or after an event such as childbirth...