Strengthening Your Pelvic Floor: How Menopause Impacts Core Muscles and the Path to Regaining Control

The pelvic floor is part of a set of four muscles which are called your ‘ core’ muscles. They include the pelvic floor, transverse abdominus, diaphragm and multifidi. They are all smooth muscle, the same composition as your heart muscle. Many things can affect your pelvic floor strength it it needs to stay as strong and flexible as possible.

One of the things which affects the pelvic floor is menopause or more precisely the reduction in oestrogen. Oestrogen has more than 400 functions in the body. One of them is to enable smooth muscle to function. Smooth muscle is different from the muscles which move your body such as nice pls or quadriceps.

Smooth muscle works differently and I located in the heart, transverse abdominus, multifidi and diaphragm. A reduction in oestrogen reduces the ability of this muscle to function well.

It is vital at this stage to engage in exercise to strengthen the pelvic floor. Pilates is a great way to start. You will initially find your pelvic floor and then correctly strengthen the muscle. Those famous ‘oops moments’ are not a necessary part of ageing. You can, at any age, bring function back to the pelvic floor. It may take longer for some ladies than others. But Strength can be achieved given the correct guidance and advice.

Once you know that pelvic muscles are engaged it is then important to incorporate this exercise with daily movements to develop the strength further and avoid any ‘oops moments’ by your own strength.