Understanding Women’s Pelvic Floor Therapy: What It Is, Why It Matters, and Its Connection to Mental Health

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When it comes to women’s health, there’s a growing awareness about the importance of pelvic floor therapy. Often overlooked or misunderstood, this therapy is essential for managing and improving issues that affect countless women, from postpartum recovery to chronic pain. Let’s dive into what pelvic floor therapy is, why it’s vital for women’s health, and how it connects to mental well-being.

What is Pelvic Floor Therapy?

Pelvic floor therapy is a specialized type of physical therapy focused on the muscles, ligaments, and connective tissues in the pelvic area. This therapy is often recommended for women who experience symptoms like incontinence, pelvic pain, or discomfort during physical activities, and it’s a common part of recovery after childbirth. The pelvic floor plays a crucial role in supporting key organs like the bladder, uterus, and intestines. When these muscles are weak or too tight, it can lead to a variety of issues, including bladder and bowel problems, pain, and even sexual dysfunction.

Pelvic floor therapists work with clients to assess the strength and flexibility of these muscles and then guide them through exercises and relaxation techniques to improve function. Therapy may include internal and external treatments, such as strengthening exercises, manual manipulation, biofeedback, and lifestyle adjustments that help reduce symptoms and enhance quality of life.

Why is Pelvic Floor Therapy Important?

For many women, pelvic floor issues are either overlooked or accepted as “normal” parts of life, especially after childbirth or as they age. However, untreated pelvic floor dysfunction can lead to chronic discomfort, impaired movement, and even issues like recurring infections or bowel complications. Strengthening and rehabilitating the pelvic floor not only helps women manage these physical symptoms but also allows them to engage fully in daily activities, exercise, and intimate relationships without pain or embarrassment.

Additionally, pelvic floor health is essential for core stability. A healthy pelvic floor can improve posture, support proper breathing, and enhance physical performance, which can be especially beneficial for athletes or women with active lifestyles.

How Pelvic Floor Health is Connected to Mental Health

Physical symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction often take an emotional toll. Many women with pelvic floor issues report feelings of shame, frustration, or even isolation. These physical issues can lead to social withdrawal, impact self-esteem, and cause anxiety in situations where symptoms might flare up, such as during exercise or intimate moments. Addressing the pelvic floor can thus be a critical component of holistic mental health care.

Studies have shown that the body’s physical state directly impacts mental health, and the pelvic floor is no exception. Chronic pain and physical limitations can trigger stress responses and, over time, increase levels of cortisol (the body’s primary stress hormone), which is associated with mood disorders like depression and anxiety. By addressing the root physical cause through pelvic floor therapy, women often find relief not only in their bodies but also in their mental well-being.

Pelvic floor therapy also encourages the practice of mindfulness. Many therapeutic exercises require intentional breathing, relaxation, and awareness of the body, which can help women feel more grounded and connected to their physical selves. This body-mind connection is a key factor in emotional resilience and stress management, both of which support overall mental health.

The Benefits of Seeking Pelvic Floor Therapy

  1. Symptom Relief: Therapy can alleviate common issues like incontinence, pain, and discomfort, providing freedom from symptoms that may have become life-limiting.
  2. Improved Confidence: By addressing these often-embarrassing symptoms, women can regain a sense of control, boosting confidence and allowing them to engage more freely in social and physical activities.
  3. Enhanced Mental Well-being: A healthy pelvic floor reduces physical pain and discomfort, which, in turn, helps lower anxiety and stress levels.
  4. Prevention of Future Issues: Therapy can prevent the development of further issues, particularly after childbirth, surgery, or during menopause, when the pelvic floor muscles are at increased risk of weakening.

Embracing Pelvic Floor Health as Part of Holistic Wellness

Pelvic floor therapy is not just about managing symptoms; it’s a gateway to improved quality of life and emotional resilience. When we address physical health challenges like pelvic floor dysfunction, we open the door to better mental health and overall well-being. Seeking out pelvic floor therapy can be empowering for women and an essential part of a holistic approach to health that encompasses the body and mind.

In Milwaukee, a number of clinics, including Hillary Counseling, offer resources and support for women seeking to strengthen their pelvic floor and find relief from related symptoms. If you or someone you know could benefit from pelvic floor therapy, consider reaching out to discuss how this approach can be tailored to individual needs and wellness goals.

By embracing this often-overlooked aspect of women’s health, women can reclaim both physical comfort and emotional well-being—two essential ingredients for a vibrant, fulfilling life

Connect with one of our Therapists in Milwaukee, WI, and Across Wisconsin

If you’re interested in learning more about counseling, you can send us a message here or follow these simple steps:

  1. Contact Hillary Counseling to schedule an appointment

  2. Meet with a caring therapist for your first session

  3. Start receiving support from the comfort of your home!

Other Services Offered with Hillary Counseling

Our holistic therapists are here to help you when it comes to your mental health! We offer a variety of mental health services to support individuals and couples based in Milwaukee (or who live in Wisconsin). Sessions are available both in-person at our office in Milwaukee’s Third Ward, as well as virtually for anyone in the state. We offer anxiety treatment, teen therapy, grief counseling, online therapy, couples counseling, eating disorders, trauma, OCD therapy, therapy for college students, neurodivergent affirming therapy, and LGBTQ+ therapy.

PostPartum OCD…A Firsthand Experience

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Thirty-three years ago, I had my firstborn and knew nothing about something terrible happening to me. Postpartum disorders had not yet made it into the DSM, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual l (a.k.a. bible) of Mental Disorders, so what I was experiencing essentially didn’t exist. I was a nurse-midwife, but I was terrified. Thoughts of poking my newborn in the eye with something sharp, or dropping her, intruded unbidden into mind, hitting me as I unloaded the dishwasher or climbed the stairs. I was too horrified to mention these thoughts to my care provider.

Three years later, I had my second child. The anxiety and intrusive images grew worse (as they tend to do over subsequent pregnancies, worsening like any illness over time). This time, I did mention it, and my nurse-midwife tried to reassure me, not shaming or alarming me, but she knew no more about reproductive psych disorders than I did. I didn’t find help for two more years.

Gratefully, perinatal OCD—more often known as postpartum OCD (though it can also begin in pregnancy)—is now a known entity. Yet just because the name is known doesn’t mean it’s well understood. Here’s everything I wish I’d known then. Pass it on to anyone it could help!

You are not “crazy,” and you don’t have psychosis. You are not going to hurt your baby. I feared I was going crazy, and it could have just been a matter of time before I was hallucinating or delusional. Delusions and hallucinations are part of postpartum psychosis, a much rarer and different disorder than perinatal OCD. In postpartum psychosis, women lose touch with reality and are at actual risk to themselves and their children. On the contrary, with perinatal OCD, women are in touch with reality and highly distressed by their intrusive thoughts or images. They often go to great lengths or carry out compulsions to defend against their “bad thoughts,” asking others to carry the baby on stairs, for example, or bathe and diaper them (OCD intrusive thoughts or images can be of a sexual nature).

You may never have experienced anything like this. Did you check under the bed as a kid, an even number of times, to ensure there were no monsters? I did. Do you need everything spic and span to feel at ease, tidying up to the degree that you’ve been called a neat freak, or urged to “let it go”? Many people with perinatal OCD had OCD or its symptoms in the past. Perhaps they were treated, perhaps it never got “that bad.” Either way, perinatal OCD can arise if you’ve had OCD or you haven’t. It’s estimated 1-2 percent of perinatal women are affected by OCD. But as with any estimate of things people hesitate to talk about, this is likely an underestimate.

Even if you had OCD, perinatal symptoms are likely different. Perinatal OCD symptoms can be especially alarming because intrusive thoughts involve the infant, the person you likely most want to protect and care for. Perinatal OCD can also lead to avoidance of baby care (such as not wanting to see the baby naked if intrusive thoughts happen during diapering), compulsions, insomnia (when sleep is so precious), and/or depression.

It bears repeating: you won’t carry out your intrusive thoughts. Intrusive thoughts and images are so distressing in perinatal OCD we call them “ego-dystonic”—they are the exact opposite of what you truly want to do. On the contrary, with postpartum psychosis, thoughts of harm can be “ego-syntonic,” or consistent with a person’s delusions and hallucinations, and acceptable to the person experiencing them. Perinatal OCD and postpartum psychosis are two very different, separate disorders.

OCD is driven by anxiety. OCD comes in so many varieties that the latest 2013 edition of the DSM moved OCD out of the Anxiety Disorders category and into its own Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders (OCRD) category. (Skin picking, hair-pulling, hoarding, and other OCD variants are included.) But all OCD, including perinatal, predominantly causes excessive anxiety. You might be anxious to pick up the baby or drive. Maybe you’re anxious to go to bed because you’re afraid you won’t sleep. You may be anxious to cut a tomato with a sharp knife. Whatever it is, anxiety is prevalent and may be all-encompassing. The great news is, this is very treatable and you will get well.

There are great treatments for Perinatal OCD. OCD is the only psychiatric disorder found not to respond to placebo. It is a true brain disorder and, luckily, responds robustly to antidepressants (and, in some cases, other medications) that have been found safe in pregnancy and breastfeeding. OCD treatment generally requires high doses of medications to be effective, and these meds definitely work. Therapy—particularly cognitive behavioral therapy, but others as well—is also effective, and in general, therapy and medications work better together than either do alone.

It’s not me, it’s my OCD. For starters, simply recognizing what you may have is a brain issue and involves your thinking can be harnessed for healing and anxiety reduction. When intrusive thoughts or images strike, you can remind yourself, “It’s not me, it’s my OCD.” Take a deep breath, understand this is a process of healing, and try to let go of fear while doing something positive. Reach out for help, call a trusted friend, be around others who comfort you, or use your favorite self-care hack, for starters.

Connect with others. Not only is isolation evolutionarily unnatural for humans—especially with a new baby—but being alone tends to heighten anxiety. Being with others can help you relax and validate you are doing a good job. Besides friends and family who are supportive, there are many groups for those with perinatal OCD. Online, you can join anywhere. Postpartum Support International, Maternal OCD, and Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health are national and international resources to get you started. You are not alone!

Stop the silence. There is no shame in sharing you have perinatal OCD. It can be a relief to share, and it helps others know there’s nothing to be ashamed of. But it’s your story to tell, and you needn’t share if you don’t feel safe. Remember the great acronym S.H.A.M.E.: Should Have Already Mastered Everything. That’s a gross untruth about anyone or anything, especially a new mom. You’re doing a great job at the hardest job you’ll ever have (parenthood), and the best job you can at the moment. You are good enough!

The quicker you find help, the better for you…and your family. The days of believing we can and should pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps are thankfully over. We know “it takes a village.” But sometimes, we think needing help only applies to others, not us. Well, it applies to us, too. Research shows mothers with psychiatric disorders risk having children with psychiatric disorders or other problems. But there’s great news: when moms get treated, their children get better. What a happy “side effect” of healing. If you’re reluctant to reach out, remember your entire family benefits. Soon, you’ll feel better. Good treatment works. I’ve never seen it fail. Go forth and heal!

Connect with one of our Therapists in Milwaukee, WI, and Across Wisconsin

If you’re interested in learning more about Perinatal Mental Health and OCD, you can send us a message here or follow these simple steps:

  1. Contact Hillary Counseling to schedule an appointment

  2. Meet with a caring therapist for your first session

  3. Start receiving support from the comfort of your home!

Other Services Offered with Hillary Counseling

Our holistic therapists are here to help you when it comes to your mental health! We offer a variety of mental health services to support individuals and couples based in Milwaukee (or who live in Wisconsin). Sessions are available both in-person at our office in Milwaukee’s Third Ward, as well as virtually for anyone in the state. We offer anxiety treatment, teen therapy, grief counseling, online therapy, eating disorders therapy, trauma & PTSD therapy, EMDR therapy, OCD therapy, therapy for college students, women’s health and wellness, LGBTQ+ therapy, and Neurodivergent affirming therapy.

Article By: Diane Solomon of Psychology Today