Just thought this might help some of you, if you are leaking or rushing to the toilet your pelvic floor may be weak.


Why the pelvic floor muscles may weaken
the pelvic floor muscles can be weakened by:

pregnancy and childbirth;
continual straining to empty your bowels (constipation - not being able to or having difficulty doing goona or cooney);
constant heavy lifting;
a cough that goes on for a long time (such as a smoker’s cough or chronic bronchitis and asthma);
being overweight;
changes in hormone levels at menopause (change of life); and
being unfit.
The benefits of pelvic floor exercises
it is important for women of all ages to have strong pelvic floor muscles.Women with stress incontinence, that is, those who regularly lose urine (wee or water) when coughing, sneezing or exercising, will find these exercises very helpful in overcoming this problem.

For pregnant women these exercises help the body cope with the increasing weight of the baby. Healthy, fit muscles before baby is born will recover more easily after the birth.As women grow older it is important to keep the pelvic floor muscles strong because at menopause the muscles change and may weaken.
A pelvic floor exercise routine helps to lessen the effects of menopause on pelvic support and bladder control.
Pelvic floor exercises may also be useful with a bladder training program aimed at improving bladder control in people who have the urgent need to pass urine frequently (urge incontinence).

How to contract the pelvic floor muscles
the first thing to do is to correctly identify the muscles that need to be exercised.

Sit or lie down comfortably with the muscles of your thighs, bottom and stomach relaxed.


Tighten the ring of muscle around the back passage as if you are trying to control diarrhoea (soft or runny goona or cooney) or wind. Relax it. Practice this movement several times until you are sure you are exercising the right muscles. Try not to squeeze your bottom.


When you are passing urine, try to stop the flow mid-stream, then restart it. Only do this to learn which muscles are the correct ones to use and then do it no more than once a week to check your progress, as this may interfere with normal bladder emptying.
If you don’t feel a definite squeeze and lift action of your pelvic floor muscles or are unable to even slow the stream of urine as described in point 3, talk to a health worker, continence adviser, doctor or physiotherapist. They will help to get your pelvic floor muscles working correctly. Even women with very weak pelvic floor muscles benefit from these exercises.

Doing pelvic floor exercises
if you can feel the muscles working, exercise them by:

tightening and drawing in around the anus, the vagina and the urethra all at once, lifting them up inside. Try and hold this contraction strongly as you count to five then release and relax. You should have a definite feeling of ‘letting go’.


Repeat (squeeze and lift) and relax. It is important to rest for about 10 seconds in between each contraction (tightening of the muscles). If you find it easy to hold for a count of five, try to hold for longer - up to ten seconds.


Repeat this as many times as you are able up to a maximum of 8-10 squeezes.


Now do five to ten short, fast, but strong contractions.


Do this whole exercise routine at least 4-5 times every day.
While doing the exercises:

do not hold your breath.
Do not push down instead of squeezing and lifting up.
Try not to tighten your tummy, bottom or thighs.
Do your exercises well - the quality is important. Fewer good exercises are better than lots of half hearted ones.

Once you have learnt how to do these exercises, they should be done regularly, giving each set your full attention. It might be helpful to have at least five regular times during the day for doing the exercises. For example, after going to the toilet, when having a drink, when lying in bed.

Other things you can do to help your pelvic floor muscles:

share the lifting of heavy loads;
avoid constipation and prevent any straining during a bowel movement;
seek medical advice for hay-fever, asthma and bronchitis to reduce sneezing and coughing; and
keep your weight within the right range for your height and age. If you are not sure what this should be, talk to a health worker.