Does Breastfeeding Affect Your Pelvic Floor?
Does breastfeeding affect your pelvic floor?
During pregnancy your body is marinating in hormones and after birth they jump off of a cliff.
Important ones to consider- estrogen and progesterone. This allows prolactin to increase to allow your body to produce milk.
Prolactin levels stay elevated with breastfeeding, which means estrogen stays suppressed. This important to know because decreased levels of estrogen can potentially affect your pelvic floor because of the receptors for estrogen that live on your clitoris, bladder, uterthra
Studies tell us that drop in estrogen levels while breastfeeding means some women experience:
vaginal dryness
Painful penetration
Bladder leakage
Vulvovaginal atrophy
pain with orgasm
vaginal tightness
vaginal looseness
bleeding/irritation after sex, and loss of sexual desire
These symptoms are also similar to what is experienced by women in the menopausal transition as found in this study and this recent study.
Researchers have found that 64% of women complain of pain with sex at six months postpartum
Risk factors include breastfeeding and pain with sex before pregnancy.
Accidental bladder leaks are present for 54% of women postpartum which is a result of the pelvic floor being strained in pregnancy, overstretched or injured in birth, or breastfeeding hormonal influence.
Furthermore, only 15% of women who had a postnatal sexual problem reported discussing it with a health professional!
If you are living through this and you aren’t alone!
If you are wanting to exercise and improve your recovery postpartum while breastfeeding.
This is exactly what I help women with at Radiance PT!
And yes - you can work on this in pregnancy to set your postpartum recovery up for success, you don't have to wait until your vagina is suffering postpartum to get help.
During your 1 on 1 session dedicated to your and your goals you will always work with an experienced pelvic floor physical therapist. Discover customize treatments to
Gain confidence in your new postpartum body
Banish bladder leaks and constipation
Make your pelvic floor happy again
Discover the Pathway to a happy sex life postpartum
If you are ready to get your life back and feel great in your body after birth, reach out today!