Your pelvic floor does a lot of important work. It supports your bladder, bowel, and uterus, plays a key role during pregnancy and postpartum recovery, contributes to core strength, and affects sexual health. However, for something so central to everyday well-being, it’s one of the most misunderstood parts of our body.
From “just do more pelvic floor exercises” to “this only matters after having a baby,” there’s no shortage of advice out there, and a lot of it is very wrong.
At Grace Private, we’ve heard it all. So let’s separate fact from fiction with the top 5 pelvic floor myths, and what the evidence actually says.
Pelvic floor issues only affect postpartum women. FALSE.
While many women have pelvic floor issues postpartum, the truth is, men, younger women, athletes, people with chronic coughs/constipation, and anyone with heavy lifting jobs can also experience issues with pelvic floor health.
Some risk factors include:
Men, younger women, athletes, and people in physically demanding jobs are all commonly affected, often without realising the cause. The earlier you catch it, the easier it is to address. If you’re experiencing any leakage, pelvic heaviness, pain, or urgency, it’s worth getting checked out, no matter your age or gender. Athletes who notice leakage during training often respond really well to early treatment, yet they’re often the last to come in.
Tip:
Leaking when you cough, sneeze, or work out? Feeling a sense of heaviness down there? Those are signs worth paying attention to. A quick screening with a pelvic floor physio can give you a clear picture of what’s going on and where to start.
Book an appointment with Elle Pidgeon, our APA Titled Continence & Women’s Health Physiotherapist.
More pelvic floor exercise = a better pelvic floor. Right? Not always.
We’re often told that a stronger pelvic floor is a healthier one. But pelvic floor dysfunction isn’t just about weakness. For many women, the issue is actually the opposite: an overactive or tight pelvic floor that can’t relax properly. In those cases, doing more exercises can actually make things worse.
What’s actually going on
The pelvic floor doesn’t work by itself. It works as part of a system with your diaphragm, core, and glutes, and it needs to be able to both contract and relax to do its job properly. Poor coordination, tension, or an inability to release can all cause symptoms, just as weakness can.
For example, some women leak during a cough or sneeze, not because their muscles are too weak, but because they’re too tight to relax and respond in time. More squeezing is the last thing that would help.
Getting the right exercises matters far more than doing more of them. A pelvic floor assessment looks at how your muscles are actually functioning, their strength, coordination, tone, and timing, so your physio can give you a program that’s tailored to what your body actually needs.
Tip:
If you’ve been busy doing your pelvic floor exercises and not seeing improvement, or things feel worse, it might be time to get assessed. There’s a lot more to pelvic floor rehab than squeezing.
Leakage happens with age, and there’s not much you can do about it. Not true.
It’s true. Ageing increases your risk of incontinence, but it doesn’t make symptoms inevitable or untreatable. Research shows us that pelvic floor physiotherapy and simple lifestyle changes lead to improvements in leakage across all age groups. Most women see real results with the right support.
Tip:
There’s no reason to just put up with it. The sooner you get assessed, the sooner things can improve.
When most people think of pelvic floor dysfunction, they think of leakage. But your pelvic floor influences a lot more than that, including bowel control, sexual function and pain, core stability, low back pain, and pelvic organ support. It’s part of your functional core, connected to your breathing, posture, and movement patterns. Symptoms can show up in surprising ways.
Tip: Pelvic pain, discomfort during sex, constipation, or unexplained back pain? Don’t assume it’s unrelated, mention it to a pelvic floor physio.
Sometimes it does. Often, it doesn’t. Without guided assessment and targeted rehab, symptoms frequently persist or quietly worsen over time.
A pelvic floor physiotherapist can assess your muscle strength, tone, and coordination, retrain movement patterns, and give you practical strategies for everyday life, from bladder habits to lifting technique.
Tip: Early support leads to better outcomes. Waiting for things to resolve on their own can mean a longer road to recovery.
How a pelvic floor physio can help
Every assessment and program is tailored to you. At Grace Private, our physiotherapist offers:
Book a pelvic floor assessment with our experienced physiotherapist at Grace Private.
Pelvic floor health is something every woman can improve, at any age, any stage, and regardless of whether you’ve had children. With the right assessment and support, most women see real, lasting change.
If anything in this article resonated with you, we’d love to help. Contact Grace Private to book a pelvic floor physiotherapy appointment today.
