Pelvic Floor Exercises

Have you heard of Pelvic floor exercises?

It is important for women of all ages to maintain pelvic floor muscle strength. The pelvic floor muscles support the bladder, the womb and the bowel and play an important role in the bladder and bowel control and sexual sensation. These muscles can be weakened due to pregnancy and childbirth, constipation, persistent heavy lifting, chronic cough, being overweight, hormonal changes in menopause, or lack of general fitness.

To do pelvic floor muscle exercises, sit or lie, relaxing your thighs, buttocks and abdomen. Tighten and draw in around the anus (back passage), the vagina and urethra (front passages) all at once, lifting them UP inside. Hold for 5 seconds, then release. You should have a definite feeling of letting go. Repeat up to a maximum of 10 times, resting for 10 seconds in between. Now do 5-10 short, fast but strong contractions. Do this exercise routine at least 4-5 times per day. Once you have learnt the exercises, make them part of your daily routine. For more information contact the National Continence Helpline a Federal Government project in association with the Continence Foundation on freecall 1800 33 00 66

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