Your pelvic floor is the group of muscles that keeps everything in place in your pelvis. It is important to look after your pelvic floor throughout your life. If your pelvic floor is not working properly, you may experience symptoms such as:
- Leaking of urine
- A feeling that something is coming out of your vagina
- Being unable to get to the toilet in time.
There are times in life when symptoms can become worse for example, in pregnancy, after childbirth, with menopause and as you get older.
North Bristol NHS Trust: What is the pelvic floor?
More information:
- NHS: Urinary incontinence – when you leak urine
- The CONfidence: Free self-help for bladder and bowel leakage
- NHS: 10 things that we can all do to help us all to stop bladder leaks
- The British Society of Urogynaecology (BSUG): More in-depth medical information
- Pelvic Organ Prolapse is when one or more of your pelvic organs drop down from their normal position NHS: Pelvic organ prolapse
Exercising the muscles in your pelvic floor can help improve your symptoms:
- The Squeezy App: How to do pelvic floor exercises and a time to help you practice regularly
- NHS: How to do pelvic floor exercises
- A physiotherapist may help support you in these exercises – you can self-refer to see a specialist pelvic health physiotherapist here: Pelvic Health Physiotherapy Service.
Local services:
- Sirona: Specialist Bladder and Bowel Service (you will need to be referred by a GP for this service)
- Bladder and Bowel Health Integration team (BABCON): Promoting bladder and bowel continence for all
National services:
- Bladder and Bowel UK: Supporting bladder and bowel health for everyone
Information in other languages:
- Bristol Health Partners: Taking Back Control – Somali language version (video)
