Here’s what you should know, and how to keep this part of your body as healthy as possible as you age.
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The Body Part You Shouldn't Ignore
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Letting you control when you poop, pee and fartSupporting your postureEnabling you to cough or sneeze without peeingSupporting vaginal contractions during sexAllowing you to support your baby during pregnancy—and give birth vaginally
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Lots of things, Dr. Nakib says. “Hormone changes, childbirth, gravity, surgeries.”
Pelvic floor dysfunction is common, affecting about a third of women at some point in their lives. It occurs when you can’t relax and coordinate your pelvic floor muscles properly to pee or poop.
Perimenopause and menopause can worsen pelvic floor dysfunction too, says Dr. Carolyn Botros, DO, a urogynecologist at Atlantic Health.
Changes during menopause, along with past pregnancies and surgeries, can put extra pressure on the pelvic floor, and the muscles can become more lax (this can also happen naturally with age), says Aleece Fosnight, PA-C, a physician assistant at Aeroflow Urology, who specializes in urology and women’s health.
How To Keep Your Pelvic Floor Healthy
Dr. Botros says these issues are important to treat. They can cause vaganial tissues to thin and lose elasticity, which can contribute to pelvic floor problems, according to the American Physical Therapy Association. You can try over-the-counter vaginal moisturizers or talk to your doctor.
Address constipation
Related: Pelvic Floor Doctors Reveal the One Exercise Every Woman Over 50 Should Be Doing
Do Kegel exercises
These exercises strengthen your pelvic floor. To do Kegels, squeeze, hold and relax your pelvic floor muscles. But Dr. Nakib says most women don’t do them correctly. To find the right muscles, insert your finger into your vagina and squeeze like you’re trying to hold in your urine; if you feel tightness on your finger, you’re doing it correctly, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. You can also see a pelvic floor physical therapist for help, Fosnight says.
See your doctor
Pay attention to these symptoms: vaginal or pelvic pain, pain with intercourse, vaginal dryness, an urgency to urinate, bladder leakage, frequent urination, constipation, feeling stool left behind after having a bowel movement, and feeling a bulge in your vagina. If you have them, Dr. Botros says to make a doctor’s appointment.
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Sources:
Dr. Nissrine Nakib, MD, associate professor, medical director and vice chair of urology at the University of Minnesota, and advisory board member at FlyteDr. Carolyn Botros, DO, a urogynecologist at Atlantic HealthAleece Fosnight, PA-C, a physician assistant at Aeroflow Urology, who specializes in urology and women’s healthCleveland Clinic, Pelvic Floor Muscles UChicagoMedicine, Pelvic Floor Disorders American Physical Therapy Association, Vaginal DrynessNational Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Kegel ExercisesHence then, the article about the body part most women ignore until they think it s too late was published today ( ) and is available on Parade ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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