PREGNANCY AND PELVIC FLOOR

Pregnancy is beautiful but it can lead to

RESEARCH SAYS (APPROX)

• 50 % loss of strength of vaginal – muscle is likely to happen after delivery.
• More than 55 % of women are likely to suffer from female sexual dysfunctions.
• More than 34 Million women suffer from urine leakage.

WHY VAGINA BECOMES LOOSE
DURING PREGNANCY AND AFTER
CHILDBIRTH?

• 9 Months of Baby’s Weight
• Weight Gain During Pregnancy
• Hormonal Changes
• Pushing Down During Labour
• Perineal Trauma During Child Birth
• Stretching of Vaginal Muscles

DO YOU KNOW?

Looseness of Pelvic Floor Muscles leads to:
1) Vaginal Looseness
2) Urine leakage
3) Pelvic Organ Prolapse
4) Low back pain
5) Sexual Problem Like

• Lack of Desire
• Reduced Sexual Sensation
• Pain or Discomfort
• Unhealthy Orgasms

 

VAGINAL LOOSENESS?

Do you feel?

• looseness of vagina
• gapping in vagina
• less satisfying intercourse compare to before
• difficult or delayed orgasms compare to before
• Reduced vaginal sensations
• Difficulty retaining tampons
• Difficulty holding penis tightly during intercourse: With vaginal laxity, vagina only provides surroundings to the penis friction, instead of holding the penis tightly, which negatively affects sensations.
• Vaginal flatulence: Sometimes the air enters the vagina due to Vaginal or pelvic floor muscle laxity. It can create noise and could be a very embarrassing situation.
• Low self-esteem and low confidence

 

Causes of Vaginal laxity

• Pregnancy
• Ageing
• Obesity
• Menopause
• Intraabdominal Pressure

 

Most of the women are not aware that their vagina becomes weak, loose or dysfunctional. Followings are the reasons which can cause vaginal looseness.

• Inadequate - underuse of these muscles,
• Vaginal laxity after pregnancy and childbirth,
• Change in hormones due to menopause,
• Decreased muscle tone due to ageing
• Straining because of chronic constipation
• Straining associated with a chronic cough
• Overweight or obesity
• Diseases or surgery in the pelvic region.
• Pregnancy,
• Labour,
• Childbirth,
• Emergency c-section (where the patient has already gone through straining of pelvic floor muscles)
• Planned c-section (has fewer odds to damage PFM as labour and vaginal birth trauma /straining is not there; however we can't overlook the fact of weight gain during pregnancy which strains PFM)
• Weight gain
• Poor posture
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Too much passive stretching, (too thick male genital organs) through sexual inactivity

URINE LEAKAGE (FEMALE)

Urinary incontinence/leakage — or the loss of bladder control — is a very common and often embarrassing problem. But it is not normal. The severity ranges. It could be occasionally leaking urine during coughing, sneezing, laughing, exercising, etc. It can also be a sudden or strong urge to urinate which can lead to leakage even before reaching a toilet.

It gets worse with age, urinary leakage can be a consequence of pregnancy, labor, childbirth, weight gain, and aging. If you have urinary incontinence, don't hesitate to see pelvic floor rehab practitioner. It would be better if they are IIPRE affiliated and approved.

Urine Leak - Types

Some people may experience occasional, small quantity leaks of urine. Others may have small to moderate amounts of urine leak.

Types of urinary incontinence include:

• Stress incontinence. Urine leaks when you cough, sneeze, laugh, exercise or lift something heavy. It happens due to weak vaginal – pelvic floor muscles.
• Urge incontinence. When you have a sudden, intense urge to urinate and you can not hold it. It leads to an involuntary loss of urine. You may experience frequent urination, including throughout the night. Urge incontinence may be caused by neurologic disorder or diabetes. It can be also associated with weak pelvic floor muscles.
• Overflow incontinence. You may experience frequent or constant dribbling of urine. It can happen due to a inability to empty the bladder completely.
• Functional incontinence. A physical or mental dysfunction may stop you from making it to the toilet in time. For example, if you have severe back pain, you may not be able to make it in time.
• Mixed incontinence. You may experience more than one type of urinary incontinence.

CAUSES

• Pregnancy. Factors like hormonal changes and the increased weight of the foetus can stretch vaginal – pelvic floor muscles for 9 months. As a result, vaginal muscles become loose and fail to hold urine.
• Labour & Childbirth. Straining during labour and vaginal delivery can weaken pelvic floor muscles which are important for bladder control. It can also damage bladder nerves and supportive tissue. The bladder, uterus, rectum or small intestine can get pushed down from the usual position and protrude into the vagina. Such protrusions can be also associated with incontinence.
• Age. Involuntary bladder contractions become very frequent as you get older. Age can lead to weakness of pelvic floor muscles and ultimately vaginal looseness and urine leakage.
• Menopause. After menopause, estrogens hormone reduces. Estrogens is a hormone that helps to keep the lining of the bladder and urethra healthy. Deterioration of these tissues can lead to incontinence. Along with that, weak pelvic floor muscles make it worst.
• Obstruction. A tumour anywhere along your urinary tract can block the normal flow of urine, which can lead to overflow incontinence.
• Neurological disorders. Conditions like multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, brain tumour or a spinal injury may interfere with nerve signals which can lead to poor bladder control.