Pelvic floor exercises are a good way to prepare for menopause, as regular exercises can help prevent discomfort in old age.
The pelvic floor muscle is barely noticeable in everyday life, yet it fulfills a vitally important function. If it becomes weak over the course of your life, incontinence can occur. This problem is particularly prevalent during menopause. But there's no need to worry, because in this article, you'll find tips and tricks for targeted pelvic floor training.
The pelvic floor and its functions
The pelvic floor is a layer of muscle in the lower part of the pelvis. You can imagine it as a small hammock in your abdomen. Its job is to support the organs in the abdominal cavity. It also supports healthy posture. When this muscle-connective tissue structure is well developed, your pelvis remains flexible and mobile. If the muscles are strong enough, problems such as incontinence, sagging, or prolapse of the internal organs in women have little chance.
Why are pelvic floor exercises so important for menopause?
During menopause, the female body undergoes significant hormonal changes. This affects many different areas. The pelvic floor is not spared. This can quickly lead to bladder weakness, which is naturally quite unpleasant for every woman. But don't worry, there are various exercises that can strengthen the muscles and thus prevent the negative consequences.
How does the pelvic floor change during menopause?
To understand exactly why pelvic floor exercises are so important for women, it's important to consider the changes that occur during menopause. Estrogen is a female sex hormone that controls many different bodily functions. Several changes can occur during menopause. During this time, estrogen levels drop quite rapidly, and sex hormones are barely produced. This leads to poor blood circulation in the genital area and weakening of the pelvic floor muscles. As the tissue shrinks, the internal organs in the pelvic area can sink. This then leads to greater strain on the pelvic floor muscles, causing them to weaken more quickly. The symptoms of pelvic floor weakness negatively influence each other. Therefore, it's important for those affected to seek information early and take countermeasures as soon as the first signs appear. Feel free to talk to your gynecologist about this!
What symptoms occur during menopause?
When the pelvic floor muscles weaken during menopause, it can lead to a wide variety of problems. Most women experience the onset of bladder weakness. The first signs of incontinence are small amounts of urine that may leak out with sudden exertion. Sudden laughter or coughing can also trigger this. If the tissue continues to deteriorate, severe urinary incontinence can occur. At this stage, the affected person can no longer hold urine because they have lost control of the sphincter.
Other symptoms include vaginal dryness or pain during intercourse. Changes in the pelvic floor can also cause various abdominal pains. This is because the wasting muscles, combined with decreasing bone density, increase pressure in the pelvis. This makes the torso more unstable and the internal organs heavier.
The benefits of pelvic floor strengthening
It's never too late to do something to strengthen your pelvic floor. Strengthening your pelvic floor muscles during menopause (or even before) can help prevent many unpleasant symptoms. These include better bladder control and more enjoyable sex. The earlier you start training, the better.
How to train your pelvic floor
The pelvic floor works together with the back and abdominal muscles to support your torso and internal organs. These three muscle groups ensure good tone throughout your body. The best thing about them is that you can strengthen them with regular training. In addition to various aids for strengthening your pelvic floor, there are exercises you can easily do at home. Pelvic floor exercises are easy for women of all ages to perform and therefore suitable for a wide range of ages. They not only strengthen your bladder but also your entire abdominal muscles.
Exercise 1
Sit on a chair. First, place your feet hip-width apart and straighten your torso. Now breathe in and out deeply, pulling your ischial tuberosities together. This exercise tightens your pelvic floor and lifts your torso slightly. Repeat this five more times.
Exercise 2
Lie on your back and stand with your feet hip-width apart. Inhale deeply and exhale, lift your hips. Briefly pull in your stomach and press your shoulders toward the floor. Relax, inhale, and lower your hips. Repeat this exercise five times.
What aids can support pelvic floor exercises during menopause?
While you can easily perform your pelvic floor exercises at home, there are many tools available that can help you with your training.
The Phase I Active Pelvic Floor Training Aid Set consists of four tampon-shaped cones of varying weights that help you consciously perceive your muscles and gradually strengthen them. Regular training can help improve, resolve, or prevent bladder weakness.
Training with the pelvic floor training aid Phase II helps you stimulate your muscles and thus prevent them from becoming weak again.
We show you how easy the exercises with the pelvic floor training aids are in our blog article “Pelvic floor training with weights.”
With the Pilates ring, you not only train your pelvic floor, but also your abdominal and back muscles (and, if desired, even your arms and shoulders). The ring is designed to offer a certain amount of resistance when exerting force with your arms or legs. By squeezing and releasing, the desired muscles are simultaneously trained.
The seat cushion is ideal for a simple yet effective workout. It not only strengthens the pelvic floor muscles but also promotes healthy posture. The napped surface stimulates circulation in the buttocks area through a massage effect. And the best part: you can easily and quickly incorporate the seat cushion into your daily routine. We'll show you how here.
Always seek medical advice
Important note: This article contains only general information and should not be used for self-diagnosis or treatment. It is not a substitute for a consultation with a doctor.
It ensures that the sphincters of the bladder and bowel function properly. It contributes to intact body stability and posture, which in turn can have a positive effect on sexuality.
If you want to train your pelvic floor when incontinence is starting, you can consciously tense and then relax the muscles of your urethra, anus and vagina.
Lie on your back with your legs bent. Your feet should touch the floor. Now forcefully squeeze your sphincter, as if you were trying to stop your urine flow. It's important that you feel the slight pull of the muscles in your pelvis.
If you want to see noticeable results, you need to train regularly, ideally daily. It's better to do several short exercise sessions per day than one long one. As a rough guideline, you can aim for two to three 10-minute workouts per day. It's best to integrate them into your daily routine, for example, with daily household routines like loading/unloading the dishwasher or hanging/taking laundry.
In addition to age-related changes in the pelvic floor, too little exercise and too much sitting are just as bad. Excessive straining when urinating or defecating is also bad.
There are a few simple exercises that you can quickly and easily incorporate into your daily routine. For example, make sure you walk or sit upright to relieve pressure on your pelvic floor. Climbing stairs is also an easy way to activate the muscles. Deep breathing also trains your pelvic floor. Inhale deeply, and the diaphragm rises, stretching the pelvic floor muscles.
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