Weighing down – the pelvic floor benefits of weight loss

20 Nov Weighing down – the pelvic floor benefits of weight loss

Did you know that the incidence of pelvic floor disorders in overweight individuals can be reduced or even prevented by losing a just a little bit of excess weight? In overweight women, that amount can be as little as 5 percent of their body weight, which could help them to prevent issues such as incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse.

Obesity and incontinence

Being overweight or obese puts you at higher risk of having pelvic issues such as an overactive bladder and incontinence (urinary and bowel). Other types of incontinence, such as stress incontinence also tend to be more common in those who are carrying excess weight, due to the constant added pressure being placed on the pelvic region.

Obesity and prolapse

Ladies, if you’re carrying excess weight, you’re risking pelvic organ prolapse. This is because that added weight places excess pressure on the tissues that support the pelvic organs (such as the bladder and uterus). This causes the supportive tissues to be stretched, damaged and unable to hold the organs in their optimal position. The organs therefore end up dropping down, pressing on the vaginal wall, sometimes to the point of bulging through the vaginal opening. There have also been studies that have shown that women who became pregnant whilst carrying excess weight were more likely to have prolapse issues than those who were at a lower weight when becoming pregnant.

The best thing that you can do to reduce or prevent these conditions from becoming an issue for you is to lose or maintain a healthy weight. The second-best thing you can do is to seek professional help from our experienced team of specialist Physiotherapists at Western Women’s and Men’s Health. We are specially trained to help strengthen and/or rehabilitate the pelvic floor muscles. What are you weighting for?! Give us a call at our Hoppers Crossing clinic today on (03) 8001 2044 and make an appointment!

You may also like to have a consultation with us prior to beginning an exercise regime, as certain exercises can also cause damage to the pelvic floor muscles.