Why Pelvic Floor Dysfunction Isn't Just a "Women's Issue"

pelvic floor Jun 13, 2025

Breaking down the myth that pelvic floor health only matters for moms and older women

I’m the kind of girl who goes to a barbeque and everyone starts asking me about their pelvic floor symptoms 🤦‍♀️🤣

So it was no surprise at all when I was at a barbecue last summer when it came up in conversation (as it always somehow does amongst the over 40 crowd!), and my good friend mentioned that her husband had been dealing with some "bathroom issues" since his back surgery six months earlier. He was frustrated, embarrassed, and convinced it was just part of getting older at 45.

She called him over and asked me to explain to him the link between pelvic floor dysfunction and low back pain/spine injuries. (More on that here).

The look he gave me was priceless. "Isn't that... for women? Like, after they have babies?"

This just goes to show what a huge blind spot there is around pelvic floor health that's leaving millions of people – men, children, teenagers, seniors – without the knowledge they need to address issues that could significantly improve their quality of life. This blog post aims to shed some light on said blind spot!

The Myth That's Hurting Everyone

Here's what society has taught us about pelvic floor health:

"It's a women's issue. It only matters after you have babies. Men don't need to worry about it. Kids will grow out of any problems."

This couldn't be more wrong.

Everyone has a pelvic floor. Everyone.

Men, women, children, teenagers, seniors, people who've never been pregnant, people who've had multiple children, athletes, couch potatoes – every single human being has this crucial system of muscles, ligaments, and connective tissues that's been working 24/7 since the day they were born.

Yet somehow, we've convinced ourselves that pelvic floor health is only relevant for a small subset of the population. This myth isn't just inaccurate – it's actively harmful.

Why This Myth Exists (And Why It's So Damaging)

The medicalization of women's bodies has created a strange phenomenon where pelvic floor health became associated primarily with pregnancy, childbirth, and "women's problems." While it's true that pregnancy and birth can significantly impact pelvic floor function, this focus has inadvertently created the impression that these muscles don't matter for anyone else.

This narrow view has led to:

Men suffering in silence with issues they don't understand and can't talk about
Children experiencing symptoms that get dismissed as "phases" they'll outgrow
Teenagers and young adults developing problems that could be prevented with proper education
Older adults accepting dysfunction as an inevitable part of aging

This strange myth has resulted in millions of people living with preventable symptoms, reduced quality of life, and the belief that "this is just how my body works."

Men Have Pelvic Floors Too

Let's start with the elephant in the room: male pelvic floor health.

Men's pelvic floors serve the exact same foundational functions as women's:

Supporting pelvic organs (bladder, rectum, and prostate)
Maintaining continence
Contributing to core stability
Playing a role in sexual function

Common Male Pelvic Floor Issues Include:

Erectile Dysfunction: The pelvic floor muscles play a crucial role in maintaining erections and ejaculation. Weakness or dysfunction in these muscles can contribute to sexual performance issues that are often attributed to other causes.

Premature Ejaculation: Overactive or poorly coordinated pelvic floor muscles can contribute to ejaculatory control issues. Many men have found significant improvement through pelvic floor training.

Urinary Leakage: Yes, men can experience stress incontinence too, especially after prostate surgery or as they age. The muscles that help control urinary flow are part of the pelvic floor system.

Chronic Pelvic Pain: Also known as chronic prostatitis or pelvic pain syndrome, this condition often involves tension and dysfunction in the pelvic floor muscles.

Core Instability: Just like in women, the male pelvic floor is part of the deep core system. Dysfunction here can contribute to back pain, hip issues, and overall instability. And yes, it's not as uncommon as you would think for men to have diastasis too!!

Post-Surgical Issues: Men who've had prostate surgery, hernia repairs, or other pelvic surgeries often experience pelvic floor dysfunction that could be addressed with proper rehabilitation.

Why Men Don't Get Help

The stigma around discussing these issues, combined with the general lack of awareness that men even have pelvic floors, means that male pelvic floor dysfunction is vastly under-diagnosed and under-treated.

Many men suffer for years with symptoms that could be significantly improved or resolved with proper pelvic floor training, but they never receive this information because "pelvic floor therapy is for women."

Children and Pelvic Floor Health:

Perhaps even more concerning is how we handle pelvic floor issues in children.

Kids' pelvic floors are still developing, which means they're particularly susceptible to dysfunction – but also particularly responsive to intervention when problems are caught early.

Common Pediatric Pelvic Floor Issues:

Bedwetting Beyond Typical Ages: While occasional nighttime accidents are normal in young children, persistent bedwetting in older kids can sometimes indicate pelvic floor coordination issues.

Chronic Constipation: Many children with chronic constipation have pelvic floor muscles that don't know how to properly relax during bowel movements. This creates a cycle where the harder they try to go, the more their muscles tighten up.

Frequent UTIs: Recurrent urinary tract infections in children can sometimes be related to incomplete bladder emptying due to pelvic floor dysfunction.

Urgency and Frequency: That child who's constantly asking to use the bathroom, doing the "potty dance," or having frequent accidents might be dealing with a hypertonic (too tight) pelvic floor.

Withholding Behaviors: Children who avoid using the bathroom, seem uncomfortable with toileting, or develop behavioral issues around bathroom use may be experiencing pelvic floor tension.

The Problem with "They'll Grow Out of It"

While some childhood toileting issues do resolve on their own, others can persist into adolescence and adulthood if not addressed. The "wait and see" approach, while sometimes appropriate, can miss opportunities for early intervention that could prevent years of dysfunction.

More importantly, children who develop healthy pelvic floor awareness and habits early in life are much less likely to experience problems as adults.

For example, my 9 year old daughter brings a mini tennis ball with her on long road/plane trips because she knows full well that that “constant need to pee but nothing comes out” is actually a tight pelvic floor due to having just spent a long time sitting. She uses the ball for the therapy ball release technique and voila! (Note: Don’t try this at home. I work in the field of pelvic floor health and work with people with pelvic floor dysfunction every day, so i know how to help her. If you suspect your child has pelvic floor dysfunction, please find a pelvic floor physical therapist here).

The Teenage Years:

Adolescence brings significant changes to the pelvic floor system:

Hormonal fluctuations affect tissue development and function
Growth spurts can alter muscle coordination and strength ratios
Increased athletic participation can stress the system in new ways
Psychological factors around body image and sexuality can create tension patterns

Yet we provide virtually no education about pelvic floor health during these crucial years. This means teenagers who develop problems often carry them into adulthood without ever understanding what's happening or knowing that help is available.

Breaking Down the Barriers

The compartmentalization of pelvic floor health into "women's issues" has created artificial barriers that serve no one:

For Men:

Reluctance to seek help for "embarrassing" symptoms
Lack of awareness that pelvic floor therapy exists for men
Limited access to male pelvic floor specialists
Societal pressure to "tough it out" instead of addressing dysfunction

For Children:

Parents who don't know when to seek help
Limited pediatric pelvic floor resources
Healthcare providers who aren't trained in pediatric pelvic floor assessment
The assumption that all childhood toileting issues will resolve on their own

For Everyone:

General lack of education about pelvic floor function across the lifespan
Limited research on pelvic floor health in non-pregnant populations
Insurance coverage issues for preventive pelvic floor care
Societal discomfort with discussing these topics openly

Regardless of gender, age, or life stage, certain principles apply to everyone's pelvic floor health:

Coordination Matters More Than Strength

Just like in women, the ability to properly coordinate relaxation and contraction of the pelvic floor muscles is more important than pure strength. This applies whether you're a 45-year-old man dealing with post-prostate surgery incontinence or an 8-year-old child with chronic constipation.

Breathing Is the Foundation

The connection between breathing and pelvic floor function is universal. Teaching proper breathing mechanics benefits everyone, regardless of their specific symptoms or demographic.

Posture and Movement Patterns Affect Function

How you sit, stand, move, and carry yourself impacts your pelvic floor function. This is true whether you're a teenage athlete, a desk worker, or a senior citizen.

Stress and Tension Create Problems

Chronic stress, anxiety, and trauma can manifest as pelvic floor tension across all populations. The mind-body connection in pelvic floor health doesn't discriminate based on gender or age.

Imagine a world where:

Boys and girls learn about their pelvic floor muscles alongside their other muscle groups in health class
Men feel comfortable discussing urinary, bowel, and sexual health issues
Parents know the warning signs of pediatric pelvic floor dysfunction
Healthcare providers routinely assess pelvic floor function across all populations
Preventive pelvic floor care is as normal as dental cleanings or eye exams

This isn't a pipe dream – it's an achievable goal that starts with changing the conversation.

Remember my friend's husband from the barbecue? After our conversation, he ended up seeing a pelvic floor physical therapist. His "bathroom issues" improved significantly within a few months, and his chronic back pain – which he'd never connected to his pelvic floor – also resolved. (You can search for a pelvic floor physical therapist in your area here).

But the most important outcome was this: he started talking about it. He mentioned pelvic floor therapy to his workout buddies, his golf group, his coworkers. Some laughed it off, but others quietly asked for more information.

That's how change happens – one conversation at a time.

Your Pelvic Floor Doesn't Care About Your Demographics

Your pelvic floor muscles don't check your gender, age, or parental status before deciding whether to function properly. They're simply muscles, ligaments, and connective tissues that need appropriate attention and care to work optimally.

Whether you're:

A 25-year-old man with chronic pelvic pain
A 45-year-old woman who's never been pregnant but deals with urgency
A 10-year-old child with constipation issues
A 70-year-old grandfather with post-surgical incontinence
A teenage athlete with core stability problems

Your pelvic floor matters. Your symptoms are valid. Help is available.

The sooner we normalize pelvic floor health as a universal human concern rather than a niche women's issue, the sooner we can start preventing problems instead of just treating them after they become severe.

Your pelvic floor has been working for you since day one, regardless of who you are. Isn't it time we all learned how to take care of it properly?

Ready to learn more? Understanding your pelvic floor as part of your overall health – not as a gender-specific issue – opens up possibilities for better function, fewer symptoms, and a higher quality of life at every stage. Because when we stop limiting this knowledge to one demographic, everyone benefits.

Read my blog post all about pelvic floor anatomy (for everybody) here.

Watch my video all about pelvic floor tightness here.