Your pelvic floor does a LOT during pregnancy and birth.
So what happens to it afterward? And does having a C-section protect you from incontinence or changes to your sex life?
The reality is more nuanced. Birth method is only one piece of the puzzle, and there are things you can do to support your pelvic floor and sexual health before and after birth.
Let’s look at what the evidence actually says. 👇
This has been a collaboration with @PWHRCanada.
Sources
- Pelvic Floor Anatomy and Applied Physiology | Gastroenterology Clinics of North America | September 2009
- Women’s pelvic floor muscles | NHS inform
- Pelvic floor muscle strength is correlated with sexual function | Investigative and Clinical Urology | November 2020
- Impact of Vaginal Delivery on Pelvic Floor | Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e ObstetrĂcia | February 2020
- The Effect of Type of Delivery on Female Postpartum Sexual Functioning: A Systematic Review | Healthcare | June 2022
- Selective versus routine use of episiotomy for vaginal birth | Cochrane Library | February 2017
- Women’s sexual health after childbirth | BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology – Wiley Online Library | August 2005
- Postpartum Sexual Dysfunction: A Literature Review of Risk Factors and Role of Mode of Delivery | BJMP – British Journal of Medical Practitioners | June 2010
- Postpartum Female Sexual Function: Risk Factors for Postpartum Sexual Dysfunction | Sexual Medicine | December 2019
- Prevalence and factors of urinary incontinence among postpartum: systematic review and meta-analysis | BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth – Springer Nature Link | October 2023
- Birthweight and urinary incontinence after childbirth: a systematic review and meta-analysis | European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology | October 2020
- Urinary incontinence during pregnancy and in the postpartum period | Nature Reviews Urology | October 2025
- Caesarean Section | MyHealth AlbertaÂ
- The Effect of Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercise on Female Sexual Function During Pregnancy and Postpartum: A Systematic Review | Sexual Medicine Reviews | January 2019
- Effect of pelvic floor muscle training during pregnancy and after childbirth on prevention and treatment of urinary incontinence: a systematic review | British Journal of Sports Medicine – BMJ | January 2013
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