The 5 Biggest Myths About Pelvic Floor Health During Pregnancy & Postpartum
The 5 Biggest Myths About Pelvic Floor Health During Pregnancy & Postpartum
Five days after giving birth to her first baby, my best friend, a brilliant university professor, was standing over the changing table, halfway through changing her newborn’s nappy, when she suddenly felt an urgent need to pee. She couldn’t hold it. She couldn’t leave her five-day-old baby on the changing table. And so she stood there, helplessly, as she wet herself completely.
The shame she felt was overwhelming. Here was this incredibly intelligent woman who understood anatomy, who knew this was “normal” after birth, yet she felt like her body had completely betrayed her. But here’s the powerful part of this story—she didn’t just accept it. She worked to understand what was really happening in her body, addressed it properly, and by her second pregnancy, she had none of these issues.
My friend’s experience perfectly illustrates why we need to bust the biggest myths about pelvic floor health that are keeping women stuck in dysfunction and accepting problems as inevitable.
Myth #1: “Pelvic floor problems are just part of being a woman”
This is the most damaging myth of all. I’ve heard countless stories that illustrate why this belief is so harmful:
- Older yoga students who’ve missed out on bus tours during holidays because of their weak pelvic floor and fear of not being able to find a toilet
- My experienced yoga teacher, a mother of three, who shared how water would just drip out of her vagina after having a bath, something she’d been living with for years
- My own experience after giving birth to twins, when a little bit of pee would escape every time I coughed or sneezed for the entire first year postpartum
Think about how these issues affect quality of life. You’re avoiding social activities, missing out on experiences, feeling embarrassed about your body, and constantly worrying about where the nearest toilet is. You might avoid exercise, intimacy, or even laughing too hard with friends. This isn’t just a physical problem, it’s affecting your mental health, your relationships, and your ability to live fully.
By the way, men also have a pelvic floor. This isn’t just a women’s issue. Men can experience pelvic floor dysfunction too, especially after prostate surgery or with chronic stress.
Here’s what all these stories have in common: They happened after giving birth, not before. Yes, these experiences are common, but common doesn’t mean normal, and it certainly doesn’t mean you have to live with it.
The reality: Your pelvic floor is made up of muscles, just like any other muscle in your body. When we accept dysfunction as “just part of being a woman,” we’re essentially saying that women’s quality of life doesn’t matter. These issues are treatable.
Myth #2: “Kegels are the solution for everything”
Let’s be honest for a moment, pelvic floor exercises are boring! Even though we know they’re good for us, most of us don’t do them consistently. It’s like flossing your teeth, everyone knows it’s important, but somehow it never makes it to the top of the priority list, especially when you’re juggling work, family, and everything else.
Here’s what most people don’t understand: Kegels are just one tool, and they’re not always the right tool. Sometimes, the pelvic floor muscles are already overworked and tense, especially if you’re a professional woman who sits for long hours, holds stress in your body, or frequently delays going to the bathroom. Adding more contraction exercises can actually make things worse.
The real solution: Recovery in the postnatal period, and preparation during pregnancy, needs to start with your breath. Your breathing is directly connected to your pelvic floor function. When you breathe in properly, your pelvic floor gently releases and lengthens. When you breathe out, it naturally draws back up.
The key is working from the deepest muscles first. We need to start with your deepest core muscles, your diaphragm, your deep abdominals, and your pelvic floor all working together in coordination. Only after you’ve restored this natural breathing pattern and muscle coordination should you even think about adding strengthening exercises.
Myth #3: “The pelvic floor is just those muscles around your private parts”
This myth completely misses the bigger picture. Your pelvic floor isn’t just a small group of muscles at the bottom of your pelvis. It’s part of your entire core system, and it’s connected to everything in your body.
Picture this: your core is like a canister. The diaphragm is the top, your deep abdominal muscles wrap around the sides, and your pelvic floor is the bottom. These all work together with every single breath you take.
Your pelvic floor muscles are connected to your back muscles, your glutes, and your leg muscles through what’s called myofascial continuity. Your pelvic floor also has direct anatomical connections to deeper hip muscles:
- The obturator muscles are deep hip muscles that help rotate your thigh and are located on the inner walls of your pelvis—they’re directly connected to your pelvic floor
- The piriformis muscle is a deep muscle in your buttocks that helps rotate your hip and runs from your lower spine to your thighbone, also connecting to your pelvic floor system
Scientific evidence shows that when you stimulate the obturator muscles externally, it actually stimulates contraction of the pelvic floor muscles. The gluteus maximus muscle can directly influence pelvic floor muscle tension because tendon fibres from the gluteus maximus insert directly into the pelvic floor muscle area.
Here’s where this becomes crucial for professional women: When you’re sitting at your desk for 8 hours a day, hunched over your computer, you’re not just affecting your posture, you’re affecting your entire pelvic floor system. Your hip flexors get tight, your glutes get weak, your back muscles compensate, and all of this directly impacts your pelvic floor function.
Myth #4: “You can’t do anything about pelvic floor issues during pregnancy”
This myth is so far from the truth. Pregnancy is actually the PERFECT time to work on your pelvic floor health. It’s when you can build strength, improve coordination, and prepare your body for birth and beyond.
Here’s what’s actually happening during pregnancy: Your ribcage expands, your pelvis widens, your centre of gravity shifts, and your breathing patterns change. All of these affect your pelvic floor function. The hormones of pregnancy also soften your tissues, which can be challenging but also creates an opportunity for positive change.
The key insight: Your postnatal pelvic floor health begins during pregnancy. The choices you make now, how you sit, how you breathe, how you move, how you manage stress, all impact your recovery after birth.
What you can do during pregnancy:
- Learn proper breathing techniques that coordinate your diaphragm and pelvic floor
- Improve your posture to accommodate your changing body
- Build core strength in a safe, pregnancy-appropriate way
- Develop stress management strategies that will serve you after birth
- Prepare your body for the demands of labour and delivery
For professional women specifically: You’re growing a human being while maintaining your career. Your body is adapting to massive changes while you’re still expected to perform at work. This creates unique challenges, but it also means you need strategies that fit into your professional life.
Myth #5: “If you had a C-section, you don’t need to worry about pelvic floor issues”
This myth leaves so many women unprepared for the reality of postpartum recovery, regardless of how their baby was born.
Some women choose to have a C-section specifically to avoid future pelvic floor issues. While this is understandable, it’s important to know that having a caesarean doesn’t guarantee you’ll avoid pelvic floor problems.
Here’s what actually happens: Your pelvic floor supports your baby for nine months, regardless of how they exit your body. The weight of your growing baby, the hormonal changes, the postural adaptations—all of these affect your pelvic floor whether you have a vaginal delivery or a caesarean.
Plus, many women who have C-sections went through hours of labour first. Their pelvic floor experienced the full process of preparation for birth, even if the baby didn’t come out that way.
The hormonal piece is crucial: The hormones of pregnancy make your tissues softer and more stretched. These hormones don’t suddenly disappear the moment your baby is born. Your body still needs to recover from nine months of changes.
Note: There are medical exceptions—in cases of severe prolapse or other significant pelvic floor injuries, a C-section might be medically recommended for future pregnancies.
The Solution: A Holistic Approach
Whether you’re planning a vaginal birth or a caesarean, or you’ve already had your baby, you need a comprehensive approach to pelvic floor health. This isn’t just about doing exercises—it’s about understanding how your whole body works together.
Your pelvic floor is connected to:
- Your breathing patterns
- Your posture and spine alignment
- Your stress levels and nervous system
- Your digestive system
- Your emotional state
This is why yoga-based approaches are so effective—they naturally address your whole body as an integrated system, working on breathing, posture, movement patterns, and stress management all together.
The Bottom Line
You don’t have to accept pelvic floor dysfunction as inevitable. You don’t have to suffer in silence. And you definitely don’t have to choose between your career and your health.
Your pelvic floor is part of your whole body system, and with the right approach, one that addresses your breathing, your posture, your stress levels, and your daily habits, you can feel strong, confident, and comfortable in your body again.
Whether you’re pregnant or postpartum, remember that postnatal pelvic floor health begins during pregnancy. It’s never too early to start preparing, and it’s never too late to start healing.
Ready to take action on your pelvic floor health?
I’ve created comprehensive pelvic floor courses specifically for professional women: one for pregnancy and one for postpartum. These courses include the theory so you understand why and how everything works, plus sequences and practices that address all the connecting muscles and body parts.
Find the Prenatal one here and the postnatal one here.
Share your story: Which of these myths resonated most with you? Have you been told to “just do more Kegels” or that leaking is “just part of being a woman”? Connect with me on Instagram @krish_yoga or send me an email, your story might help another woman realize she’s not alone in this journey.
Thank you for listening!
