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Health Digest | Pelvic Floor Health During Pregnancy - Why It's So Important
Health Digest author Catherine Caruso reached out to me about why pelvic floor health is so important during pregnancy, and of course this being one of our major areas of expertise I was more than glad to answer her questions. Here is a brief synopsis of the article, along with a link to the full article below.
Heather Jeffcoat, DPTWhat's So Important About Pelvic Floor Health During Pregnancy?
If you've never been pregnant but think it may be in the cards for you, here's a mental trick you can try - just imagine strapping a bowling ball to your abdomen for a day and going about your normal routine. Your pelvic floor muscles would let you know soon enough what an extra strain you've put on them, haha! But seriously, in the real world pregnancy doesn't just overtake your life in one day (thank goodness!), and your body has time to adjust to this new task it's been given. That said, there are a lot of issues to be aware of and tactics you can take to make the whole experience go as smoothly as possible, and that's what we are here for.
Catherine's article begins:
Believe it or not, your pelvic floor muscles can actually play an important and essential role during pregnancy. Located at the base of the pelvis, the pelvic floor consists of a group of muscles that help support your pelvic organs, including your bladder, bowel, and uterus (via Better Health Channel). While many people may not even be aware of their pelvic floor muscles prior to becoming pregnant, they can certainly have a significant impact on your health throughout your life, especially during pregnancy and childbirth.
In an exclusive interview with Health Digest, Dr. Heather Jeffcoat, DPT, owner of Femina Physical Therapy in Los Angeles and PT with plusOne, discusses the importance of maintaining good pelvic floor health during pregnancy. According to Dr. Jeffcoat, pelvic floor muscles "serve important functions through all stages of life, but when women start to experience urinary urgency and frequency, bladder leakage or sexual dysfunction, they become intimately aware that this is a region that is deserving of more attention."
