Clearing Up Confusion About Sexual and Pelvic Health

Transcript:

Jamie Forward:

So, what are some common myths you hear from women about sexual and pelvic health?

Jessica Bell:

Yeah. Oh, I mean, the first one is that it’s just Kegels. So, anytime I refer somebody to a pelvic floor physical therapist, they often say to me, like, “Well, I know how to do a Kegel.” And I’m like, “They went to school to get a doctorate to have an in-depth understanding of the entire ortho-musculoskeletal system, and then they went to school longer to understand the intricacies of the pelvis.”

And so, that’s, I would say, the biggest myth, is that referral to pelvic floor PT is that they’re just going to teach you Kegels. That is definitely not what’s going to happen there. And then, there’s also, yeah, I have heard people say something to the effect of, “If I participate in sexual activity with myself or others, that I’m not going to experience the low estrogen changes,” and that is also not true.

And that is just doing such a disservice to people. First of all, we’re all unique humans, and not all of us are going to have desire for physical intimacy with ourselves or others. So, I just imagine that person that really, that’s not a part of what they’re interested in, in their life. And that can bring up a lot of feelings, I would imagine, for that person with that myth or that assumption.

So, estrogen changes happen when we go through perimenopause, menopause. They can happen for people postpartum with lactation. We also see hormonal changes that occur as a side effect from some medications that are used, too.

Jamie Forward:

Okay. So, Jessica, if there’s one thing you want every woman to do to improve her pelvic or sexual health in perimenopause or menopause, what would that be?

Jessica Bell:

Yes. The education and knowledge around, I would say, the inevitable tissue changes that occur, and that you don’t have to wait for them to happen.

You can participate in prevention instead of just being reactive to those tissue changes. So, starting your vaginal hormones before you need them, pelvic floor physical therapy, absolutely, I think is a brilliant thing to do. I almost feel like we could go through pelvic floor PT at every decade in our lives or every 20 years, because there might be a different reason every 20 years to see a pelvic floor physical therapist. But I would say, yeah. Know that the tissue changes are happening and you don’t need to wait for them to occur.

Jamie Forward:

Great. And have honest conversations with your physician, I would imagine?

Jessica Bell: 

Honest conversations with your physician, your friends. Dig into the education and resources that are available, you know? What you guys do, amplifying evidence-based information is just so important.

So, also, that’s a big deal as well is knowing where to get your information is going to be very important. There’s a lot of information out there, particularly with social media, which I think is, there’s some great conversations that are happening. And then there’s some that might not be as evidence-based, and that can be really confusing for people. So, know where you’re getting your education, information, is important as well.

Jamie Forward:

Yeah, write down your questions and bring them all to your doctor is what I typically do, and I found it to be very helpful, so.

Jessica Bell:

Absolutely, yeah.