Pelvic floor and sexuality: “There is an invisibility of female well-being”

When you talk about pelvic floor exercises Most people may think of those used during and after pregnancy to control urinary incontinence, for example. But strengthening this part of the body is directly linked to sexuality . There kinesiologist Andrea García explains that the floor or pelvic floor “is a set of tissues, both connective, soft, muscular, fascia, aponeuroses, ligaments, which surround the pelvis and which support the pelvic organs, in women, the bladder, the uterus and the rectum. .

The professional, co-founder of the center Women’s House ensures that heThe functions of the pelvic floor are extensive. “It embraces and supports the pelvic viscera and contributes to its proper functioning, maintaining correct posture, because it works in collaboration with the lumbar area and the diaphragm; It participates in the respiratory pattern and, as it is associated with the pelvic organs, it has a function of urinary and fecal continence. It also participates in sexuality and constitutes the path of birth.

Although it is a subject that we talk about more and more frequently and that several professionals discuss on social networks, it still remains little known to the general public. “This is an area that is still relatively unknown in kinesiology, so it is even more so for people who do not work in health. Female wellness is very invisible, and when it comes to the pelvic floor, it’s not just about having a good pregnancy. It’s not just for young women. This invisibility means that not all of us have access to the opportunity to fully enjoy our daily lives and, as a result, women are suddenly a little more deprived of this advantage. Not all gynecologists talk about sex in a preventive way, even though it is something that has been well studied,” explains Andrea, pelvic floor specialist.

Sexual life can benefit from perineum work, whether preventive or not, since better lubrication and better control of orgasms can be obtained for example. Working this area which surrounds the clitoris, and therefore strictly linked to sensations of pleasure, is also a form of self-knowledge. “Working on the perineum makes people aware of or daring about sexual practices that we could possibly find very daring or that we don’t really believe we can do. But little by little it opens the mentality and the woman gets closer to what she really loves,” explains García.

Patients who come to Andrea García’s office for problems or dysfunctions during sexual relations also come to Andrea García’s office; Situations that can be avoided through muscular work: “When I have a muscle that doesn’t work properly, that isn’t active, that the brain doesn’t recognize or I don’t know how to make it work, it can have certain difficulties like a lack of lubrication. or an increased risk of infections or urinary leakage during sex. On the other hand, this happens in many patients who have an overworked muscle, but due to tensions linked rather to anxiety and anguish, and who therefore have rigid, poorly mobile and poorly functional muscles which end up being a dysfunction.

Prevention is necessary in both hyperactivity and hypoactivity. Hormonal changes and weight variations affect the perineal muscles and therefore carry a high risk of dysfunction or impairment. “The problem is that we don’t show it, because it becomes normalized. QIt often happens in consultations that patients say that they have always felt pain during sexual intercourse and that when they asked their doctors, they were told that it was normal and that there was an error. This could be improved by explaining to women, when they initiate sex, what is normal and what is not; what can be done to prevent pain and how the perineal muscles are activated,” explains García.

Do you think there is progress in terms of information on the pelvic floor in terms of health?

It seems to me that important and educational work is being done for the cis feminine and trans feminine community. It is necessary that this information reaches everyone and that, as far as possible, access is equally available to all. I think it is necessary for professionals to offer options. Saying “Look, this tool exists, you decide whether you use it or not” is very different from denying it or not telling you about it. I understand that when we talk about the pelvic floor and sexuality, it is not a question of life and death and that therefore someone cannot be interested in it as well as he can be interested in it . But the important thing is to offer the possibility.

There are several ways to train the pelvic floor, including the famous Kegel exercises, for which you can find instructions and information on different platforms. Do pelvic floor exercises daily, but not as repetitions of an exercise routine, but in a way that integrates them into daily life. But these exercises can also be accompanied by equipment, under the supervision of a professional.

Kinesiologist Andrea García explains that at Casa Mujer she works with biofeedback, “a team that seeks to make invisible muscles visible. Biofeedback provides a visual and auditory signal on the functioning of the perineal muscles. The movement performed by the patient is worked with an electrode that penetrates the vaginal or, in some cases, anal cavity. And later we also use vaginal weights or “Chinese balls”, when the patient really knows what the exercise feels like and the appropriate times for each of the positions. We start working with overload to promote increased strength and strengthen the muscles. Perineal training can be performed without these tools. In the end, after the consultations, the tasks are left at home, because when we look for Kegel exercises or Kegel contractions, we realize that we can all do it, but we are just not familiar with it. perineal movements.