Improving pelvic floor health: advice for nurses and their patients

Why isn't having strong and well-functioning pelvic floor muscles important to us all? Why is leaking when we sneeze considered normal? And why is standing on the doorstep desperately trying to get the key in the door, and racing to the toilet before disaster strikes, something that we put up with?

We know that between 25% and 45% of women suffer with stress incontinence (Milsom and Gyhagen, 2019). In women it commonly occurs following childbirth and the menopause and, in men, following radical prostatectomy.

I have been a continence nurse specialist for 24 years and have loved every minute of it. Last year I wrote The Pelvic Floor Bible in a bid to reach far more people than I could ever dream of treating in person (Simpson, 2019). This led to meeting and making lots of new friends and colleagues along the way. These were people passionate about things such as pregnancy and childbirth, the menopause, men following prostate cancer surgery, constipation, sexual health, and so much more. I have also talked to pilates and yoga instructors who are in a perfect position to talk about and promote pelvic floor health and they are doing just that.