Be kind to yourself and care for your pelvic floor

  With the aging of society, female pelvic floor dysfunctional disorders are becoming more and more common and have become a prominent problem that seriously affects the quality of life of middle-aged and elderly women.  The female pelvic floor is composed of muscles and fascia, which, like a hammock, holds up the pelvic organs at the perineum and anus to maintain sexual life and bowel function. Pelvic floor dysfunction is a disorder caused by structural defects, injuries and dysfunctions, mainly stress urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. The causes are complex and are influenced by many factors. Vaginal delivery is by far the most closely recognized correlate and worsens with increasing number of deliveries, while cesarean delivery provides some protection to the pelvic floor, but poses other more serious risks. Pregnancy itself is also a risk factor for pelvic organ prolapse, which can be induced by mechanical damage to the pelvic floor, regardless of the mode of delivery.  Pregnancy and childbirth are a necessary part of almost every woman’s life, and while they bring joy to becoming a mother, they also cause inevitable damage. Postpartum rehabilitation training and pelvic floor function rehabilitation can help restore normal pelvic floor function. Prevention can be done in daily life through the following aspects. i. Lifestyle interventions, such as maintaining adequate water intake, avoiding constipation and straining to defecate, and reducing weight in overweight people. ii. Pelvic floor muscle exercises, i.e. Kegel exercises, which mainly consist of repeated anal constriction. Patients who have been diagnosed with pelvic floor dysfunctional disorders require medical intervention.  Although pelvic floor dysfunctional disease is not a serious threat to people’s health and life like cardiovascular disease and cancer, it seriously affects the quality of life of middle-aged and old-aged women, and the consultation rate is low because of the low social concern. I sincerely hope that all women treat themselves well, care for the pelvic floor, consult the doctor in time and recover as soon as possible.