How Pelvic Floor Therapy Can Help You Through Menopause

Eventually, ALL women will experience menopause at some point.

Menopause can be defined simply as the ceasing of menstruation. It is the time of life when a woman’s ovaries stop producing hormones, which leads to the end of her menstrual periods. As Dr. Jess states in her book Postpartum is Forever, menopause typically starts around the late 40s, but for some women, it can start earlier or later than this period. Just like puberty and getting your first menstrual period, not everyone experiences these things at the exact same age. With the beginning of the menopausal cycle comes a lot of unexpected changes and symptoms, which include hot flashes, vaginal dryness, irregular periods, night sweats, chills, sleeping problems, mood swings, weight gain/slowed metabolism, and more. These symptoms can be difficult to manage on your own, and that's why we believe having a team that understands YOU and takes into consideration your menopause journey is crucial. In this blog, we want to highlight some of the many ways that pelvic floor therapy makes this transition seamless and less isolating.

First things first, menopause does NOT mean the end of a healthy sex life. One of the common side effects that come from menopause is vaginal dryness. This can cause painful sexual intercourse or decreased arousal. Pelvic floor therapy and exercises can help to relax and align the vaginal muscles and improve circulation to the area, which can boost arousal and lubrication, leading to less painful and more enjoyable sexual intercourse. If you have tried lubrication or other methods without any meaningful change, you are not alone and would likely benefit from working with a specialist. Sexual health and satisfaction is important as older adults and worth investing your time and energy into!

 In addition to vaginal dryness, pelvic floor therapy during menopause can also help to relieve urinary incontinence. Pelvic floor physical therapy can help to strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, which reduces symptoms of urinary incontinence that can be brought on by being postpartum (postpartum is forever, after all!), menopausal, having a history of heavy lifting, etc. Much like any group of muscles, we lose strength without activity and the pelvic floor muscles are often forgotten. In conjunction with natural aging when we start to lose elasticity in our tissues, these muscles can become too lax allowing for leaking or in severe cases, pelvic organ prolapse (POP). Pelvic organ prolapse is when one or more of the organs in the pelvis slip down from their normal position and bulge into the vagina or the rectum. It can be the womb (uterus), bowel, bladder, or top of the vagina. Pelvic floor therapy keeps this core area of the body strong and aligned, which prevents the likelihood of something this severe from happening or helping to reverse if you do experience these things.

Musculoskeletal problems are another major concern that comes with menopause. Although a variety of factors contribute to bone density loss and osteoporosis, a physical therapy regimen can help lower risks by building muscle, correcting postural problems, and maintaining a healthy weight. This ensures that you can continue being active and participating in all the activities that you love and enjoy in your life. Menopause does not need to slow you down at all, the best years are still ahead of you!

Despite its physical and mental challenges, menopause can be the beginning of a whole new phase of healthy, active living. Pelvic floor physical therapy for menopause can help ensure that you can still live your best, most active lifestyle and that you don’t have to compromise anything. If you’re experiencing any pelvic symptoms associated with menopause or chronic pelvic symptoms, schedule a free consultation with us here at Arancia Physical Therapy to find out what we can offer you. You can visit us online here or by giving us a call at 401-602-7006. 

Works Cited

Papa, Jessica L. Conquering Mystery Pain, 2019. 

Papa, Jessica L. Postpartum Is Forever, 2021.