All About Pelvic Floor Dysfunction: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment Options

Pelvic floor dysfunction is a common problem, but it's still widely misunderstood and frequently misdiagnosed. In this post, our team at Feminine Urgicare offers an overview of pelvic floor dysfunction to help you seek treatment and find relief.

Pelvic floor dysfunction 101

Located in your lower belly, your pelvic floor is a group of muscles and ligaments that provide support for your pelvic organs, including your uterus, bowels, and bladder. In addition to holding your organs in place, the pelvic floor also helps control critical functions, such as urination and bowel movements. 

Pelvic floor dysfunction happens when these muscles and ligaments become weak or damaged, interfering with their ability to provide adequate support. As a result, one or more organs can shift and start to move lower in your belly, causing an array of uncomfortable symptoms.

Common causes

Pelvic floor dysfunction tends to be especially common during menopause, in large part due to a decline in estrogen. Estrogen plays an important role in triggering the production of collagen — a protein that helps keep muscles strong. Lower estrogen leads to a decline in collagen production and weaker pelvic floor muscles.

Several other factors can cause or contribute to pelvic floor weakness or dysfunction, including:

• Age-related wear and tear on your muscles and ligaments
• Chronic constipation
• Pregnancy
• Vaginal childbirth
• Frequent heavy lifting
• Obesity
• Prior pelvic surgery or injury
• Neurological conditions like multiple sclerosis

Often, it’s not just one factor but a combination of factors that lead to pelvic floor dysfunction. For instance, age-related changes in your muscles combined with estrogen decline during menopause.

Recognizing the symptoms

Pelvic floor dysfunction responds best to early treatment, and that begins by learning to recognize its symptoms. Since so many organs can be affected, symptoms can vary widely. Some symptoms to watch for include:

• Urinary incontinence, including leakage and frequent urges to urinate
• Lower pelvic pressure
• Chronic constipation or straining
• Fecal incontinence
• Rectal pressure or discomfort during bowel movements
• Pain during sex
• Pelvic pain that worsens when standing or walking for long periods

Without treatment, pelvic floor dysfunction can lead to pelvic organ prolapse. This condition happens when one or more organs descend so far that it presses into your vaginal canal.

Treatment options

Pelvic floor exercises — specifically, Kegels — can play an important role in the early stages of pelvic floor dysfunction. These exercises target and tone the pelvic floor muscles, increasing strength while decreasing symptoms like urinary incontinence.

Minimally invasive therapies using special devices to stimulate muscle contractions provide targeted treatment to help strengthen and tone muscles, too. Losing excess weight, quitting smoking, and eating more fiber may help decrease strain on your pelvic floor.

For more severe or advanced issues, we might recommend surgery to restore or repair the pelvic floor. Some women benefit from surgical implantation of a sling that helps support the pelvic floor organs, relieving symptoms and preventing problems from progressing or recurring.

Custom treatment is the key

Pelvic floor dysfunction’s causes and symptoms can vary widely from one woman to another, which is why a custom treatment solution is so important. 

To learn how we can tailor a treatment plan to help you feel better, request an appointment online or over the phone with the team at Feminine Urgicare in Paramus and Clifton, New Jersey, today.