What Is the Pelvic Floor?

The “pelvic floor” refers to the muscles and connective tissue that span the opening of the pelvis. Above it are nestled the pelvic organs—the bladder, rectum and uterus for people with female anatomy.

The Pelvic Floor Is the Base of the Core

The pelvic floor forms the bottom of the “core”—the closed pressure system in the center of the body. The diaphragm forms the top of the core, and the sides are enclosed by the abdominals and back muscles.

The diaphragm and pelvic floor act like a piston, moving up and down together during our cycle of breathing. When we breathe in, the diaphragm and the pelvic floor descend and lengthen while the abdominals expand. When we exhale, they both ascend and shorten while the abdominals contract.

Pelvic Floor Control Is Complex and Automatic

The core is a critical and nuanced system for your body’s mobility and stability. It simultaneously keeps us strong and stable so we don’t fall over while allowing us to move fluidly and efficiently in a myriad of ways.

The brain and spinal cord unconsciously control your core muscles, including the pelvic floor. Muscles are activated both in anticipation of and reaction to our needs in a process so fast and precise that we never realize it’s happening.

This means that the pelvic floor (and the other core muscles) do their jobs without us thinking about it. In fact, we would do a pretty poor job if we were consciously in charge—it’s simply too complex, fast and nuanced for us to control. We would end up moving like robots.

There are some scenarios where unconscious pelvic floor coordination doesn’t work the way we need it to. For many people, especially after pregnancy and childbirth, the body doesn’t adequately anticipate a cough or sneeze—that’s when urinary leaking occurs. Others struggle with a pelvic floor that has learned to contract instead of lengthen during a bowel movement, making it challenging to pass stool.

The Pelvic Floor Is Always Working

Instead of thinking of the pelvic floor as operating on an “on-off switch,” it’s more accurate to consider it as working on a dimmer switch that never fully goes off. Based on what we need (or will need), the nervous system adjusts the level of activity of the pelvic floor muscles.

The potential “brightness” of your dimmer switch depends on your individual pelvic floor muscle strength. Pelvic floor strengthening through whole body exercise or pelvic floor muscle training (a Kegel program) gives your body more to work with as it supports you through your daily tasks.

Train Your Pelvic Floor—But Let It Work Naturally

While we don’t need to control it, we can consciously change the action of our core and pelvic floor if we want to. If you have pelvic floor-related symptoms stemming from an issue with coordination, building awareness and changing this coordination through conscious practice can eventually teach your body a new automatic program.

Many women are told that their pelvic floor is weak and uncoordinated, and they need to contract it consciously every time they move. Not only is this advice anxiety-producing and unsustainable, it isn’t efficient or helpful for supporting the way your pelvic floor is meant to work.

Think of pelvic floor strength and coordination training like any other exercise program. Build coordination and strength in your workout, but let your body move normally once you leave the “gym.”

The Anatomy of the Pelvic Floor

The pelvic floor consists of a handful of individually named muscles arranged in layers. Generally speaking, they contract and relax together—not even the most talented people can isolate one without contracting the others to some degree.

Superficial layer:

• Includes the urethral and anal sphincters, as well as the muscles that encircle the vaginal opening
• When this layer contracts, the muscles squeeze inward and close the urethral and anal openings

Deep layer:

• Forms a bowl or hammock inside the bones of the pelvis
• Forms the bottom of the core and supports the pelvic organs
• When it contracts, this layer shortens and lifts upwards towards your head

What do the Pelvic Floor Muscles Do?

Bladder Control

• Contract to prevent urine leakage by closing the urethral sphincter and supporting the bladder and urethra against pressure changes.
• Relax to allow the bladder to squeeze urine out. Many people think that the pelvic floor muscles are responsible for squeezing urine out, but the bladder itself is a muscular organ. The pelvic floor’s job when you pee is to get out of the way!

Bowel Control

• Contract to prevent leakage of gas and stool by closing sphincters and holding against pressure changes.
• Relax and lengthen to get out of the way when you bear down in order to have a bowel movement.

Sexual Function

• Facilitate and maintain erection of the clitoris in female anatomy and penis in male anatomy.
• Provide pleasurable friction at the vaginal opening.
• Help increase sensations of orgasm for both male and female anatomy through rhythmic contractions.

Strength

• The pelvic floor muscles form the bottom of the core. Because of their location, they help create intra-abdominal pressure. This allows us to move and exert effort without falling over.
• Many people think that the core muscles are only worked during “core exercises.” However, the core (including the pelvic floor) is active all the time. It works especially hard during higher intensity exercise, including upper and lower body strength training or running. That means that keeping your whole body fit and strong is a great way to keep your pelvic floor muscles in shape.