Pelvic Floor

The pelvic floor muscles are a wonderful, hard-working part of the body that deserve a special kind of attention it often misses out on! Maintaining a strong pelvic floor is essential to continence (bladder and bowel health) and sexual function. Download our Pelvic Health Guide and/or browse the topics below to find out more about pelvic health and pelvic floor muscles:

What are Pelvic Floor Muscles?
Pelvic floor muscles are an important but often overlooked set of muscles that everyone has. Watch our introduction videos (below) for advice on pelvic floor muscle basics including where they are and what role they play in your body.

What are pelvic floor muscles?

What do pelvic floor muscles do?

Anatomy of the pelvic floor muscles (penis model)

Issues with Pelvic Floor Muscles
Because bladder, bowel, and pelvic health is often not talked about, it can be difficult to know whether or not you might have an issue, what is “normal”, and when you should consider seeking help. Watch our videos on pelvic floor muscle issues (below) to find out more.

Issues with your bladder or bowel control, sexual function, and/or core could be an indication that your pelvic floor muscles aren’t functioning well. If you would like to know more about what is "normal", visit the Bladder and Bowel Health section of our website.

What can go wrong with pelvic floor muscles?

General symptoms of pelvic floor muscle dysfunction

What options are there to improve continence?

What Can Affect Pelvic Floor Muscles?
A number of factors and experiences can affect pelvic floor muscles, including:

Surgical history (e.g. radical prostatectomy)
Previous injury
Heavy lifting (e.g. physical labour or gym)
Chronic coughing or sneezing (e.g. from smoking or asthma)
Menopause
Weight
Age
Disuse
Pregnancy and childbirth

Prostate Cancer and the Pelvic Floor Muscles
Our FREE Prostate Cancer and the Pelvic Floor Muscles online training was developed with support from Prostate Cancer Foundation of New Zealand. Please note that although this training was originally developed for Prost-FIT trainers, the content can be useful for anyone who wants to learn more about this topic. Enrol for free here.

Pelvic Health During and After Pregnancy
Pregnancy is one of the more common times when people think about their pelvic health - 1 in 3 people who have ever had a baby experience bladder leakage as a result. Pregnancy changes place extra stress on the pelvic floor, and vaginal delivery can create further issues. Watch our pregnancy videos (below) to learn more about pelvic health during and after pregnancy, and you can download our Pregnancy Guide for more in-depth information.

How does pregnancy affect the pelvic floor?

How might delivery affect my pelvic area?

Who should do pelvic floor exercises during pregnancy?

Perineal massage

What is a prolapse and how do I know if I have one?

What are the symptoms of a prolapse?

What happens to the abdominal muscles during pregnancy?

What happens to the abdominal muscles after pregnancy?

Myth- "Bladder leakage is normal if you've had children"

Having sex during pregnancy

Having sex after pregnancy

Returning to exercise after baby is born

Myth - "I can't exercise in pregnancy - it's not safe"

Returning to running after having a baby

Myth - "I had a Caeserean section, my pelvic floor is fine"

Strengthening Your Pelvic Floor Muscles
Although pelvic floor issues are more commonly associated with specific groups like birthing parents and older people, pelvic f loor muscle strengthening is important for everyone. Just like any other muscle, strengthening your pelvic floor muscles helps to keep them functioning well. Because it’s hard to activate muscles you can’t see, people often have difficulty with exercising their pelvic f loor muscles. Watch this section’s videos (below) to learn how to exercise your pelvic floor muscles correctly.

How to Strengthen Your Pelvic Floor Muscles

One-page Pelvic Floor Guide
A simple, one-page guide featuring pelvic health physiotherapist Liz Childs. Download it here (PDF). You can also download a simpler, printer-friendly version here (PDF).

Pelvic Floor Muscle Training in Women
A Continence NZ brochure available for download (PDF), including information about the pelvic floor muscles, starting your pelvic floor training programme, and progressing your programme. If you would like to order one physical copy, this is free. Please call 0800 650 659 or email zoe@continence.org.nz for an order form. If you would like to order more than one physical copy, we do have a charge. Please see the order form for prices.

Pelvic Floor Muscle Training in Men
A Continence NZ brochure available for download (PDF), including information about the pelvic floor muscles, starting your pelvic floor training programme, and progressing your programme. If you would like to order one physical copy, this is free. Please call 0800 650 659 or email zoe@continence.org.nz for an order form. If you would like to order more than one physical copy, we do have a charge. Please see the order form for prices.

Why are pelvic floor muscle exercises important?

How to do pelvic floor exercises (vagina model)

How to tell you are doing pelvic floor muscle exercises correctly (vagina model)

How to tell you are doing pelvic floor muscle exercises correctly (penis model)

How to activate your pelvic floor muscles (penis model)

Things to avoid when doing pelvic floor muscle contractions

Pelvic Floor Exercise Myths

Myth - “I don't have any problems, so I don't need to worry about my pelvic floor.”

Myth - “I do pelvic floor exercises, so I don't have to worry.”

Myth - “It’s too late to strengthen my pelvic floor now.”

Myth - “If I need to rush to the toilet, I need to strengthen my pelvic floor.”

Myth - “I need to drink eight cups of water a day.”

Reducing Pelvic Floor Muscle Strain
There are a number of myths and misunderstandings when it comes to pelvic health and pelvic floor muscle exercise. Watch our myths videos (below) to better understand how, when, and why you may need to exercise your pelvic floor.

How can lifestyle choices help your pelvic floor muscles?

Reducing pelvic floor muscle strain when bending and lifting

Reducing pelvic floor muscle strain when emptying your bowel

Reducing pelvic floor muscle strain when changing positions (e.g. moving from sitting to standing)

Where to Get Help
There is support available for pelvic health problems, but knowing where to go or who to talk to can sometimes be difficult. Depending on your concern, if you need further advice, you could speak with: