Menopause is a natural phase in a woman’s life, marking the end of her reproductive years. While it is a significant milestone, it can bring about various physical and emotional changes. Among the challenges faced during this time, sexual health concerns such as painful intercourse, vaginal dryness, and low libido can significantly impact well-being. They often go hand in hand with other issues like bladder pain, urinary urgency, and urinary incontinence. Sometimes these bladder issues can affect comfort and confidence during sex.
The Role of Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy for Women During Menopause
In this blog post, we’ll explore the role of pelvic floor physical therapy and the benefits it offers for women experiencing these issues. We’ll delve into how targeted pelvic floor exercises can help improve sex during menopause and share a little-known fact about orgasm. A note about gender and sex here: The terms “male/female” or “men/women” used here aim to be inclusive of all gender expressions and will refer to one’s assigned sex at birth.
Understanding the Impact of Menopause
Menopause typically occurs between the ages of 45 and 55, resulting in a decline in the production of estrogen and progesterone, two vital sex hormones. These hormonal changes result in several symptoms, including painful sex, vaginal dryness, and bladder-related issues. It’s essential to recognize the impact of menopause on sexual health and seek solutions to improve comfort and intimacy during this stage.
The Role of Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy
Pelvic floor physical therapy is a specialized branch of physical therapy that focuses on the muscles, nerves, ligaments, and connective tissues in the pelvic region. By engaging in targeted exercises and techniques, women can alleviate common menopausal symptoms. Let’s explore how pelvic floor physical therapy can help alleviate painful sex, manage vaginal dryness, relieve bladder pain, and reduce urinary urgency and incontinence.
Addressing Painful Sex:
Pelvic floor physical therapy can help menopausal women experiencing pain during intercourse, also known as dyspareunia. Through exercises that involve gentle stretching and relaxation techniques, the therapist can release muscle tension and improve blood flow to the pelvic area, making sexual activity more comfortable and enjoyable.
Managing Urinary Incontinence:
Menopause can increase the risk of urinary incontinence due to weakened pelvic floor muscles. Pelvic floor physical therapy includes exercises like Kegels, which involve contracting and relaxing the pelvic floor muscles, helping to strengthen them and improve bladder control.
Enhancing Libido:
Reduced libido is a common concern during menopause. Pelvic floor physical therapy can help increase sexual desire by improving blood circulation, enhancing pelvic muscle tone, and addressing any underlying pelvic pain or discomfort that may be impacting sexual enjoyment.
Combating Vaginal Dryness:
Vaginal dryness is a result of reduced estrogen levels during menopause. Pelvic floor physical therapy can involve specific exercises to increase blood flow to the vaginal area. By improving lubrication, women can experience relief from discomfort and enjoy a more pleasurable sexual experience.
Relieving Urinary Urgency and Bladder Pain:
Estrogen helps maintain the lining of the bladder and supports the muscles responsible for controlling urine flow. When estrogen levels decline, the bladder lining can become more irritable, leading to increased urinary frequency and urgency. Pelvic floor physical therapy plays a crucial role in strengthening the pelvic floor muscles and improving bladder control. Targeted exercises help reduce bladder irritability and alleviate the symptoms of urinary urgency.
Pelvic Floor Exercises and Sexual Health
Pelvic floor exercises, commonly known as Kegels, are an integral part of keeping your muscles healthy. A kegel is an exercise that involves contracting and relaxing the pelvic floor muscles to strengthen them. In order to have a healthy pelvic floor, you need to know much more than how to do a kegel.
Pelvic Floor Exercises Help Your Muscles Contract and Relax Effectively
In order to have good bathroom habits as well as sexual function, the pelvic floor muscles should be able to contract and relax effectively. They need to relax in order to empty the bladder or bowels or have pleasure with sex. Additionally, they need to contract to hold back urine, and gas and to have an orgasm. They also need to be strong to support your core strength. A pelvic floor physical therapist can help you determine which approach is best for you.
Orgasms Are Pelvic Floor Exercises Too!
A little-known fact is that having an orgasm is like going to the gym for your pelvic floor. When you orgasm, they perform intense and fast contractions. Even if you are not sexually active with a partner, having regular orgasms and doing Kegels can go a long way to improve muscle tone, support the pelvic organs, and enhance overall pelvic health.
Beging Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy in Washington, DC, and Find Enjoyment in Sex Again!
Pelvic floor physical therapy can help design a customized exercise progression including Kegels to help restore core strength and prevent things like chronic pelvic floor tightness, prolapse, or urinary leakage from becoming a problem in the future.
Don’t go it alone. Contact Dr. Hope for a physical therapy assessment to see what kind of pelvic floor treatment is right to support you through menopause.
To schedule an initial assessment or free 30-minute consultation, you send an email to DrHope@restorehopept.com.
Other Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy Services Offered at Restore Hope PT
Dr. Hope works on a wide variety of pelvic health-related issues. She works with abdominal pain, chronic low back pain, and pelvic pain as well as bladder and bowel issues in men and women.