Alphabetical Index of Articles on Women's Sexual, Pelvic Floor, and Reproductive Health

What causes incontinence during pregnancy?

There are many causes for incontinence during pregnancy and postpartum. Some of the proposed factors are:

• hormonal changes,
• pelvic floor muscle and connective tissue modifications,
• bladder neck widening (due to the weight of both the uterus and the growing fetus),
• anatomical injuries during delivery.^{1, 2}

A hormone called relaxin is produced during pregnancy to help soften the muscles and ligaments in preparation for delivery. As the uterus and baby grow throughout pregnancy more load is placed on the pelvic floor muscles causing the pelvic floor muscles to become weaker.³ Also constipation, which is commonly seen in pregnancy, puts an additional load on the pelvic floor.⁴ Furthermore, the pelvic floor has additional strain placed on it during labor; the pelvic floor muscle is stretched five times its original length.⁵

The secret's out: peeing your pants after birth does not have to be your new state of normal.

Yes, you read that correctly. I was just as surprised as you to learn that physical therapy can be the answer, and my guest, Dr. Heather Jeffcoat, is the expert. Heather is the owner of Femina Physical Therapy with 3 Los Angeles locations. She is pilates-certified and a certified fascial stretch therapist. Today she's providing us with valuable knowledge on the functions of the pelvic floor and the importance of it's health.

During this episode, Heather exploits myths about vaginal pain and the benefits of pelvic health. This is very important because she stated 9 out of 10 women have pain during sex after birth. There is no doubt that pelvic floor physical therapists are the best kept secret in medicine for moms.