PFD: What it is And How to Deal With it

PFD (Pelvic Floor Dysfunction) pertains to a range of disorders that can develop when the muscles of the pelvic floor are either too weak or too tight. Symptoms include pain to the pelvic region, genital area, rectum and lower back, urinary urgency and frequency, painful urination, or incomplete emptying or the bladder, constipation and/or painful bowel movements.

PFD can be an embarrassing disorder to live with, in fact it can take over your day to day life with fears that you may leak a bit of urine from laughing, coughing, running, sneezing and even during sex. And sometimes the leakage can be from the rectum too. Besides the embarrassment the pain can be quite high for some women, whether it be pain during intercourse or an ongoing pain in your genital and/or rectal areas. But don’t worry – instead, make an appointment with your gynecologist because there are solutions!

Symptoms 

• A frequent and urgent need to urinate, similar to the feeling during a UTI, but with PFD you do actually urinate frequently and may stop and start many times.
• Painful urination.
• The feeling that you need to have numerous bowel movements in a short period of time, that you cannot complete your bowel movement, constipation or straining with bowel movements.
• Ongoing pain in your pelvic region and lower back.
• Painful intercourse.
• Lack of feeling during intercourse.

If you are experiencing any of the above symptoms make an appointment for a PFD assessment at your OBGYN’s office. If in fact you do have PFD your gynecologist may suggest the following:

Pelvic Rehabilitation:
Caught at an early stage, PFD can likely be resolved with pelvic rehabilitation. At Miami Center of Excellence we offer on-site physical therapy to re-strengthen the pelvic floor. We also offer a treatment called Mona Lisa Touch which has proven to do wonders for sexual pain or incontinence.

Pelvic Surgery:
Depending on the stage and level of PFD, surgery is sometimes recommended. There are a number of procedures available and your gynecologist will assess with you which one is best suited for your needs. We at Miami Center of Excellence offer the following surgeries: LEEP, ESSURE, Mona Lisa Touch, hysteroscopy, and endometrial ablation. If these are not right for you your gynecologist may recommend a hospital procedure that is.

Preventative Measures
There are exercises that help to increase the strength of the pelvic floor called kegel exercises. There are a variety of ways to do these, so ask your doctor for recommendations. In addition to kegel exercises, if you’re pregnant you may also do perineal massage to work the perineal are before birth. The position for pushing during birth is something to discuss with your doctor as well so that you can find a position during pushing that lowers your chance of perineal or pelvic damage.

While the symptoms of PFD can be embarrassing, the solutions will allow you to live your life more fully again. Contact us for more information.