DISCOVER THE PELVIC FLOOR

You & your pelvic floor

As a woman, you are unique, and understanding your own body is the first step toward a healthy pelvic floor. We put you first and let you feel that you are not alone. Welcome to the floor!

1 in 2
of pregnant women sometimes leaks (urine)
1 in 3
women leak urine after giving birth
1 in 8
women have anal incontinence (loss of stool or gas) after giving birth
1 in 2
women have POP (prolapse) after giving birth
Chart your own pelvic floor healthT

The Pelvic Floor Selfcheck

A few minutes of your time that make a world of difference, that's the impact of The Pelvic Floor Selfcheck. An online screening where we uncover any risk factors and issues to give you valuable insight & personalized advice. We put you as a unique woman at the center of your own quest for good pelvic floor health. 

Start the Selfcheck
We like to talk about it

Possible problems

Urinary leakage

Urinary incontinence can occur at any age, but in women it is most common during or just after pregnancy and when getting older.

Stool and bowel complaints

Various complaints can arise in connection with defecation, such as undesired loss of stool or constipation.

Sag

When the supporting tissue - which holds the bladder, last piece of bowel or uterus in place - weakens, a bulge can occur. This is called a prolapse or Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POP).

Sexual problems

Pelvic floor problems are sometimes accompanied by sexual problems.

Vaginal flatulence

Wind that can be felt and heard escaping from the vagina. Usually after sexual intercourse or during physical activities or sport.

Pain

Various pain complaints can occur. From perineal pain to tailbone pain.

Urinary leakage

Urinary incontinence can occur at any age, but in women it is most common during or just after pregnancy and when getting older.

  • Stress Urinary Incontinence: Urine leakage that occurs when coughing, sneezing, moving suddenly or laughing. An "accident" that you feel coming when there is pressure in the abdomen, due to a (slightly) heavier activity
  • Urinary incontinence: Urinary leakage that occurs when your bladder forcefully contracts. Sometimes your pelvic floor muscles can stop it, you don't have an accident and you feel a strong urge to urinate, but sometimes it can cause a little leakage.
  • Overflow incontinence: A bladder is like a balloon that fills with urine. If it gets very full and is almost overfilled, some of it may overflow, and then leakage is the result of an overfull bladder (and muscles that can no longer hold it back). But if the bladder cannot empty itself as it should because there is an obstruction somewhere, it can always remain partially filled. This sometimes causes urine to leak out of the bladder at inappropriate times.

Stool or bowel problems

Various complaints can arise in connection with defecation, such as undesired loss of stool or constipation.

  • Flatus incontinence: Everyone farts every day. But some women have no control over how to hold back a fart when they feel it would be inappropriate.
  • Loss of seat access: inability to hold down a fixed or walking chair
  • Incomplete emptying or obstructive defecation: means that you have the feeling that your bowel is never empty after a visit to the toilet. That you have trouble getting the stool out.
  • Constipation: Everyone has a different bowel movement pattern, but if you pass less than three times a week or cannot pass for more than three days in a row, you are often constipated.

Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POP)

A weakened pelvic floor can lead to prolapse of the uterus, bladder and rectum. Loss of strength in the ligaments can also be the cause of prolapse.

  • Feeling of heaviness/balls in the vagina: this feels as if something is coming down and this feeling usually increases as the day progresses, or when you have done heavier upright activities. In more advanced stages you may also be able to see that something is sinking down into the vagina
  • Prolapse of the bladder, uterus or bowel: with these problems, you may experience problems of urine/gas leakage or just more difficult urination/gas leakage. You may feel that you cannot empty your bladder properly or that you have to go again very soon after urinating. You might therefore lose some urine just after urinating etc.

Urinary leakage

Urinary incontinence can occur at any age, but in women it is most common during or just after pregnancy and when getting older.

  • Stress Urinary Incontinence: Urine leakage that occurs when coughing, sneezing, moving suddenly or laughing. An "accident" that you feel coming when there is pressure in the abdomen, due to a (slightly) heavier activity
  • Urinary incontinence: Urinary leakage that occurs when your bladder forcefully contracts. Sometimes your pelvic floor muscles can stop it, you don't have an accident and you feel a strong urge to urinate, but sometimes it can cause a little leakage.
  • Overflow incontinence: A bladder is like a balloon that fills with urine. If it gets very full and is almost overfilled, some of it may overflow, and then leakage is the result of an overfull bladder (and muscles that can no longer hold it back). But if the bladder cannot empty itself as it should because there is an obstruction somewhere, it can always remain partially filled. This sometimes causes urine to leak out of the bladder at inappropriate times.

Vaginal flatulence

Various complaints can arise in connection with defecation, such as undesired loss of stool or constipation.

  • Flatus incontinence: Everyone farts every day. But some women have no control over how to hold back a fart when they feel it would be inappropriate.
  • Loss of seat access: inability to hold down a fixed or walking chair
  • Incomplete emptying or obstructive defecation: means that you have the feeling that your bowel is never empty after a visit to the toilet. That you have trouble getting the stool out.
  • Constipation: Everyone has a different bowel movement pattern, but if you pass less than three times a week or cannot pass for more than three days in a row, you are often constipated.

Pain

A weakened pelvic floor can lead to prolapse of the uterus, bladder and rectum. Loss of strength in the ligaments can also be the cause of prolapse.

  • Feeling of heaviness/balls in the vagina: this feels as if something is coming down and this feeling usually increases as the day progresses, or when you have done heavier upright activities. In more advanced stages you may also be able to see that something is sinking down into the vagina
  • Prolapse of the bladder, uterus or bowel: with these problems, you may experience problems of urine/gas leakage or just more difficult urination/gas leakage. You may feel that you cannot empty your bladder properly or that you have to go again very soon after urinating. You might therefore lose some urine just after urinating etc.
Our pelvic floor: so important, but still so unsaid!

The Pelvic Floor Book

Everything you as a woman want to know about your pelvic floor, you will discover in The Pelvic Floor Book. A book packed with accessible tips, recognizable testimonials and beautiful illustrations for added clarity. Let's strive together for a healthy pelvic floor. Up to your bedside table?

Order The Pelvic Floor Book
the Pelvic health studio

Hedwig Neels

Hedwig Neels, the driving force behind The Pelvic Floor, also specialized in pelvic floor issues in athletes (both women and men) with a specific focus on saddle injuries in cyclists. For this we would like to refer you to hedwigneels.com.

hedwigneels.com
Your source of information

Our blog

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General

The Pelvic Floor, The digital platform about the female pelvic floor!

The online information platform about the female pelvic floor. With The Pelvic Floor Selfcheck and an online info and exercise program, we are breaking the taboo and empowering women in their self-care!
Nov 8, 2022
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Pregnancy

Pelvic floor muscle exercise during pregnancy: to do or not to do?

If you do pelvic floor muscle exercises during pregnancy; will your pelvic floor become too tight to give birth? A blog to correct common misconceptions and false myths!
Sep 4, 2022
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General

Pelvic floor problems: common, but rarely "normal".

Common but not normal. Do you occasionally leak urine? Or have difficulty holding in wind? Is the sanitary pad industry distorting our "normal" image?
Apr 29, 2022
These courageous women went before you

Our brave storytellers

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Why cross her legs when sneezing?

May 6, 2020
Before I was pregnant, I had never thought about why my own mother crosses her legs when sneezing. I thought it was strange at the time.
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Sagging is not normal

May 2, 2020
Due to permanent irritation of my urethra, I went for a check-up after two weeks with my gynaecologist, who assured me that this was perfectly normal and that all women have some sort of prolapse after giving birth.
Read more

Always a woman

Apr 30, 2020
My story is not the story of every postnatal woman, I know that. What we do not know is how many women are still walking around with similar problems. Who don't dare tell anything, out of fear or shame. There are solutions. If we all dare to raise awareness, provide information and learn to listen."