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Signs of a pelvic floor problem

Common signs that can indicate a pelvic floor problem include:

  • accidentally leaking urine when you exercise, laugh, cough or sneeze
  • needing to get to the toilet in a hurry or not making it there in time
  • constantly needing to go to the  toilet
  • finding it difficult to empty your bladder or bowel
  • accidentally losing control of your bladder or bowel
  • accidentally passing wind
  • a prolapse
    • in women, this may be felt as a bulge in the vagina or a feeling of heaviness, discomfort, pulling, dragging or dropping
    • in men, this may be felt as a bulge in the rectum or a feeling of needing to use their bowels but not actually needing to go
  • pain in your pelvic area, or
  • painful sex .

How do pelvic floor problems occur? 

Pelvic floor problems can occur when the pelvic floor muscles are stretched, weakened or too tight. 

Some people have weak pelvic floor muscles from an early age, whilst others notice problems after certain life stages such as pregnancy, childbirth or menopause.

Some people have pelvic floor muscles that are too tight and cannot relax. This can be made worse by doing squeezing exercises and overworking the muscles without learning how to relax .

Pelvic floor muscle fitness is affected by a number of things. These include:

  • not keeping them active or over working them 
  • being pregnant and having babies
  • a history of back pain
  • ongoing constipation and straining to empty the bowels
  • being overweight, obese or having a body mass index (BMI) over 25
  • heavy lifting (e.g. at work or the gym)
  • a chronic cough or sneeze, including those linked to asthma, smoking or hayfever
  • previous injury to the pelvic region (e.g. a fall, surgery or pelvic radiotherapy), and
  • growing older.

If you experience pelvic floor (or bladder or bowel control) problems it is advisable to see a continence professional to determine the cause of your symptoms and discuss the best treatment and management options to suit your needs. This may include an individually tailored pelvic floor muscle training program to help get you back in control.