Kegel Strength & Menstruation

So I've been a bit remiss in posting over the past couple of weeks...my bad. I'm piggybacking on my last post about kegel activation. This one is about loss of kegel strength & menstruation.

Pelvic Floor Exercise Post It

Do you ever feel like you have less control over your pelvic floor muscles around the time of your cycle?  I hear this a lot, especially from my patients who are working hard to strengthen their kegels.  They will sometimes describe it as if they’ve gone back to square 1.  Very frustrating, indeed. 

Well, there is actually sound reasoning for this.  Just before our periods start, there is a sharp drop off of estrogen & progesterone.  The problem with that is estrogen improves muscle mass and strength and increases the collagen content in connective tissues.  So this strong decline in estrogen can translate into less pelvic floor activation just before (and sometimes into) our    periods.

Light shed!  Alrighty – so in daily life:  don’t be frustrated or concerned with not being able to kegel around your menstrual cycle.  It is a legit issue…and thankfully, short lived! 

If you’re working to strengthen your kegel, and you’re currently on the weaker side, this time may feel like a big step backwards.  However, as you become stronger, you’ll feel this issue far less acutely. 

As an aside, something that can help balance your hormones naturally is, yes friends, ACUPUNCTURE! So having acupuncture treatments may be able to help you feel more in control of your pelvic floor during your period.