The pelvic floor muscles support the bladder, bowels and uterus. Exercises to strengthen the muscles are called Kegels. You can discreetly perform Kegel exercises anywhere, once you've located the appropriate muscles. The pelvic floor muscles are those that you squeeze to stop a stream of urine. You should empty your bladder before sitting or lying down and consciously doing Kegels. The simple exercises are especially important to perform while you're pregnant and your pelvic floor muscles are under pressure.
Bladder Control
As the fetus grows, the weight of the baby places enormous pressure on the bladder. Strong pelvic floor muscles help you hold in your urine and make it to the bathroom when your bladder needs emptying. By performing Kegel exercises regularly prior to becoming pregnant and while you are carrying the baby, you also can prevent leakage of urine that often occurs during pregnancy.
Better Sex
Urinary incontinence and a weak pelvic floor interfere with your ability to have an orgasm during sex. Kegel exercises can help maintain your vaginal walls so that sex is more pleasurable, even when you're pregnant. Weak pelvic floor muscles usually are associated with weakened lower back and abdominal muscles that also are vital for satisfying sexual relations.
Prevention
As the pelvic muscles weaken during pregnancy, you are more at risk for developing urinary incontinence that can result in permanent dysfunction. After you have the baby, you may experience associated difficulties with the condition. In addition to affecting your sex life, urinary incontinence affects self-esteem, mobility and your ability to exercise. It is directly associated with depression, according to the American College of Sports Medicine. Doing pelvic floor exercises during pregnancy also helps reduce the risk of developing urinary incontinence later in life.
Smoother Delivery
The pressure of the unborn baby continues to weaken the pelvic floor as the baby grows. Your urethra and bladder often are moved out of position, making it more important to strengthen the muscles. During delivery, nerves connected to the bladder can become damaged if you don't have as much control over the pushing process during a vaginal delivery. According to the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse, pelvic floor muscles control the sphincter, which is used to shut off the flow of urine, and can help ease delivery when they are strong and viable.
