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Want to run further, lift heavier or nail your first pull-up? Each month, we put your questions to our team of the finest fitness brains to give you the tools you need to make good on your goals
Q I’m 50 and going through the menopause. How can I strengthen my pelvic floor muscles?
Michelle Griffith-Robinson says: Simply put, the menopause occurs when your ovaries no longer produce the hormone oestrogen. It’s a very natural process of ageing, and these changes in your body are inevitable. One such change is that you may become more prone to urinary incontinence or pelvic organ prolapse – aresult of the muscle mass we lose due to both ageing (3% to 8% per decade after the age of 30) and menopause, whether you’ve experienced childbirth or not.
Links have also been found between the decrease in oestrogen during the menopause and the strength of connective tissue in the pelvic floor muscles. A 2018 study in the journal Neurourology And Urodynamics noted a significant reduction in urethral muscle thickness with age, so you’re right to want to strengthen this area.
Let’s start with Kegels, or pelvic floor ‘squeezes’. They involve tensing and relaxing your pelvic floor muscles in isolation, without moving the rest of your body, for a few seconds at a time. It can be difficult to know whether you’re doing them right, but one way to think about it is imagining you’re trying to stop wind; tighten and lift your anus, then let go and repeat the move.
If you’re suffering with symptoms of prolapse or incontinence, attempt eight to 10 ‘squeezes’, three times a day. If not, the NHS advises doing 10 to 15 fast squeezes once a day. Set an alarm to remind yourself to do them daily and aim to hold each squeeze for as long as possible until they start to feel easier. You’ll begin to notice a difference within a few months, but don’t take this as a cue to stop – maintenance is a must.
Lower-body and core exercises are also key. Both target your deep abdominal muscles, which inadvertently forces your pelvic floor muscles to contract. One study* showed that, providing you engage the correct muscles, resistance training – including squats, deadlifts, press-ups and bench presses – could be just as effective as Kegels. Research has also shown that combining strength work with Kegels is significantly more effective for improving any
