You feel it coming, but you can’t stop it; that twitch in your pelvic floor perfectly timed to your sudden cough or sneeze, or the confirmation you’ve pushed that pigeon pose a little too far. Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI) – involuntary leakage that occurs with increases in intra-abdominal pressure – is one of the more frustrating and embarrassing hallmarks of womanhood, the inescapable tradeoff for motherhood or a satisfying workout.

As a women’s health professional, I’ve spent years dispelling that myth. You don’t need to put on your (specially designed) big girl panties and deal with it; pelvic floor therapy can help you vanquish incontinence. But the best experts can admit they don’t have all the answers. You may be surprised to learn something that has come up in more recent research about Stress Urinary Incontinence that I’m passing on to my patients (and to you):

A weak pelvic floor may not be the culprit!

For a long time, pelvic floor muscle training has been the recommended treatment for many forms of incontinence. There’s a good reason for that; many patients – including mine – see dramatic results. But this past year, during a larger study, a group of researchers in New England collected data that is changing the way physical therapists think about, and treat Stress Urinary Incontinence.

Not all the study participants had Stress Urinary Incontinence; and the researchers were expecting to see significantly weaker pelvic floor muscles in those who did. As it turns out, there was a difference in muscle strength and mobility between the two groups; but it was in their hips, not their pelvic floors. They even found limited evidence to suggest hip strength and flexibility may serve as a

Studies have shown that mindfulness can improve your sex life by increasing arousal, reducing sexual pain, lowering judgement, improving relationship satisfaction, and improving self esteem. Those of you who have had sessions with me in the clinic have most definitely practiced some forms of mindfulneses meditation with me, as it helps one increase connection between the brain and body, reduce anxiety, and downregulate the nervous system.

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness can be defined as an open or a receptive attention to and awareness of what is taking place, both internally and externally, in the present moment (Barnes et al., 2007).

Sex and Mindfulness: More Similar Than You Think

Sex and mindfulness meditation are both practices in which you are encouraged to break away from daily activities, connect with the body, and with the present moment. Clearing the mind of anxieties, worries, and to-do lists is also recommended for both these activities.