When it comes to pelvic floor health, women are typically not well educated about how their bodies function.
From a young age we’re taught that vagina’s are dirty and a shameful part of our bodies. We’re told vaginas are smelly and gross by boys, then later men, who want to make out with us but don’t care much about our actual pleasure. When we go to doctors about peeing when we jump or painful sex, we’re often dismissed and told that these are normal things that happen in a woman’s body, so just get used to it, babe.
Many women don’t even know that their pelvic floor is an essential part of their anatomy and that good pelvic floor health can be life changing.
Dr. Sara Reardon wants to change that.
Known as “The Vagina Whisperer” on TikTok and Instagram, Dr. Reardon has spent countless hours online educating people on the basics of female health, since this is a topic that isn’t really ever covered in health class. Now, with her new book Floored, she wants to give women essential information about pelvic floor health so they can take the power back into their own bodies.
What Dr. Reardon explains in the book is that pelvic floor health isn’t just for postpartum or perimenopausal women, but that pelvic floor health is a fundamental part of good health care for anyone with a pelvic floor – so basically, all of us.
But for women who are more familiar with medical professionals gaslighting them about how their bodies feel “down there,” this book can give them valuable information about their bodies that is often overlooked by medical professionals.
In this Q&A, Dr. Reardon answers questions about why pelvic floor health is so important, how you can recognize it in yourself, and how to take care of your pelvic floor – including tips for continuing to exercise with pelvic floor dysfunction – so you can feel better in your body.
Floored is out NOW. Get a little taste of what to expect from the book in our interview here!
Naomi: In your book you write, “Although pelvic floor issues are common, they are not normal.” Can you explain what you mean by this?
Dr. Reardon: Many women experience pelvic floor issues like urinary leakage or painful sex after pregnancy, birth, and menopause. So yes, these issues are common but they are not normal for the pelvic floor. leakage or pain and we need to normalize pelvic floor conversations so women know solutions are available instead of normalizing pelvic floor problems.
Naomi: Why do you think we’ve created the belief that pelvic floor issues are simply a normal part of life for women?
Dr. Reardon: First off, the majority of medical research has always been done on men and by men, so it’s difficult to know what women are experiencing and to prioritize that research. Also as women, the narrative has always been that these are normal issues but we also don’t know what normal is because we aren’t educated about this part of our body. We may get some sex education or period education as young women but we don’t get pelvic floor education and that’s what I hope to achieve with Floored.
Naomi: What are some common signs of pelvic floor dysfunction, other than just peeing when you run or jump?
Dr. Reardon: Urinary leakage with coughing, running or jumping is common and other common bladder symptoms are frequent urination during the day or night, difficulty starting your urine stream or incomplete bladder emptying. Other signs are painful sex, difficulty achieving orgasms, bowel issues like constipation or hemorrhoids, pelvic organ prolapse and even low back pain and hip pain.
Naomi: Many women avoid exercising because of pelvic floor issues, worried they’ll leak when running or jumping or even squatting. But should women actually avoid exercising if they have pelvic floor dysfunction?
Dr. Reardon: Instead of avoiding exercise completely, I would actually modify exercise. That means decreasing the amount of weight you’re lifting, the distance or speed you’re running, or modifying movements so that leakage, pain or pressure don’t occur. Then you can train your pelvic floor by working on strengthening, relaxation or coordination and gradually increase your speed or intensity once your pelvic floor is stronger and more functional.
Naomi: Within the fitness world, there is often a lot of misinformation about health and wellness. What are some of the more outlandish claims that are sometimes made about pelvic floor health that people should ignore and avoid?
Dr. Reardon: The amazing thing about the internet and social media right now is that there is a wealth of information, but as you mention, a lot of it is by uncredentialed individuals and not backed by science and research. Certain things like the idea that how tight your pants are or peeing in the shower can cause pelvic floor issues, or that sitting on a vibrating Kegel chair or steaming your vulva and vagina to fix your pelvic floor issues, are all myths. Pelvic floor healthcare is much more nuanced, and it’s important to recognize the difference between wellness and healthcare and that some of these practices could cause your problems to get worse versus get better.
Naomi: Why is there such a stigma around talking about women’s health, particularly about vaginal and pelvic floor health?
Dr. Reardon: As young women and girls we’re never educated about this part of our body and a lot of conversations can circle around the belief it is smelly or gross or private or inappropriate to talk about. So if issues arise, we may feel embarrassed or ashamed to discuss them or not even know where to go to get help. I always say we want to normalize pelvic floor conversations instead of normalizing pelvic floor problems. This body part is like any other body part and it deserves proactive, preventative, and timely care instead of dismissing issues as normal.
Naomi: What is something you wish every woman knew about her pelvic floor?
Dr. Reardon: Starting with the basics, I think most women may not even know that they have a pelvic floor. And that at every stage of a woman’s life, from menstruation to becoming sexually active, from pregnancy to postpartum, and from perimenopause to well beyond menopause, your pelvic floor care requires something different. Your pelvic floor is connected to core support, bladder and bowel function, sexual function, menstruation, childbirth and menopause. If you’re experiencing any issues in these areas your pelvic floor is likely involved and needs to be addressed. No matter how long you’ve experienced a pelvic floor problem, it’s never too late to get help. Progress is possible. Also, Kegels are not the Holy Grail of pelvic floor care. Kegels are for pelvic floor strengthening and many women need pelvic floor relaxation, so performing Kegels could actually make an issue worse if it’s not the appropriate treatment.
Naomi: If someone thinks they might have pelvic floor dysfunction, what steps should they take to improve their pelvic floor health?
Dr. Reardon: I would start seeking treatment and options right away. These issues typically don’t get better with time and so the longer you wait to address them the harder or more timely it may be to see progress. The great thing about medicine right now is you have options you can seek in person care from a pelvic floor therapist, you can do a telehealth session, you can do an online workout program like the V-Hive, or you can read my book Floored to start getting tips and guidance to do at home.
Naomi: Women’s health is often neglected by doctors and their pain dismissed. What can we do to better advocate for ourselves in those situations?
Dr. Reardon: Medical providers will often not ask about these issues so it’s important that we bring them up ourselves and if they are dismissed as normal or we are told to give it more time I would push harder to get a referral to another medical provider seek one out myself or proactively check in with a pelvic floor therapist. Unfortunately many medical providers have not been educated on how to screen, refer or treat these issues. Do not let being dismissed be the end of your story; you only get one pelvic floor and you have to advocate for its care.
Naomi: Why did it feel so important for you to write this book?
Dr. Reardon: One in three women will experience a pelvic floor issue at some point in their lifetime. Urinary leakage is more common than osteoporosis, diabetes and hypertension. Yet women are less likely to get treatment for a pelvic floor problem. It’s not that these issues don’t exist, it’s that as a medical community we’re not prioritizing addressing them. I hope that Floored not only helps women be more educated about their bodies but also that their medical providers gain an understanding of how to better support women and their pelvic floor health across the lifespan.
So if something feels off down there, don’t shrug it off—your pelvic floor deserves your attention, and you deserve care that actually listens. –Naomi
