Do you rely on your intuition, or do you tend to follow your emotions? If you trust your intuition and emotions play a key role in your decisions, you might be surprised by how much we can influence them ourselves. Most women don't realize that emotions are closely connected to the pelvic floor.

Scientific data shows that the pelvic floor and our limbic system, which is involved in emotions, motivational and sexual behavior, as well as long-term memory, are interconnected. In practice, this means that if our pelvic floor is not in healthy balance, it can affect our mental health and the emotions we experience. It also works the other way around—when we are under prolonged pressure and stress, our pelvic floor suffers as well.

How does this work?

A typical example is women who suffer injuries during childbirth. While these may "heal" within a few weeks, that doesn't necessarily mean the pelvic floor is functioning correctly again. These women may experience psychological problems, neuroses, a lack of energy and vitality, or frequent headaches that, at first glance, seem unrelated to the pelvic floor.

It works the other way too—daily stress can literally tighten us up. We become tense, our muscles contract, and this manifests as increased tension in the pelvic floor. This can lead to issues like painful menstruation and ovulation, lower back pain, chronic pelvic pain, varicose veins, hemorrhoids, or constipation. A tight pelvic floor also negatively affects our intimate life—we may experience pain during sex or a loss of libido.

Whether the pelvic floor is too relaxed or too tight, it’s essential to understand that both extremes lead to a loss of elasticity and functional disorders, such as incontinence, pain, or infertility.

Is there a solution?

The key is to maintain pelvic floor flexibility throughout our lives—not too tight, not too loose. Regular self-care is crucial.

The pelvic floor is our emotional barometer. It stores fears, stress, childbirth experiences, and even unpleasant sexual encounters. It’s a detector of our vitality and joy, as well as our sadness, fatigue, and depression. Let’s learn to nurture and care for it, for only then can it serve as an inner compass we can always rely on.