The pelvic floor plays a crucial role when it comes to having sex without issues. The pelvic floor itself can become weakened, but it can also become overtaxed. The excessive or absent tension in the pelvic floor can have a direct influence on sex. The 4 consequences are the following:
- Less sensation during intimacy.
- Experiencing pain while inserting a finger, penis or dildo.
- Experiencing pain during penetration. A chafing and painful sensation.
- Urinary loss during sex or during a climax.
Sex is an important part of a relationship. Sex can also have a connecting effect during pregnancy, and yet it isn’t given to have sex without issues. The pelvic floor needs to be in good shape if you want to be able to relax and have fun. The pelvic floor is linked to everything when it comes to relaxing and having a fun intimate session.
Take a look at my pelvic floor exercises as well, or take a look at the pelvic items in the Pelvic Store.
Before we dive straight into sex, let me first explain which physical effects are coming into play during sex. Your pelvis and pelvic floor have the most influence. First I will discuss the pelvis and pelvic floor some more, then we will look at the sexual issues.
This is the pelvis
The pelvic area might be one of the most complicated body parts. We all make abundant use of it, and a lot is happening in there. You can find a lot of muscles, bones and ligaments that are holding your pelvis together and most importantly: stable. You will also find a lot of organs in the pelvic area, like your intestines, bladder, penis or vagina, uterus or prostate, and the anus. You can already feel the present bones in your pelvis. Go ahead and feel it for yourself. It is the edges at your hips, so to speak. Follow where they’re leading to. This part of bone protects your organs and forms a bowl-like socket that’s fused to your upper leg. Read more information about the pelvis here.
These are the pelvic floor muscles
There’s a big amount of muscles in your pelvic area. The most important muscular groups are the abs, lower back muscles and the pelvic floor muscles. They are all employed by the pelvis and are responsible for how the pelvis works. You know where you find the abs and the lower back muscles, but where are the pelvic floor muscles? Imagine your pelvis as an old coffee machine. Your pelvic bone is the casing where you place the coffee filter. The pelvic floor muscles are the coffee filter. It’s a funnel-shaped group of muscles located on the inside of your pelvic bone. The pelvic floor muscles are responsible for the stability of the pelvis, but also for the functionality during a few important actions. Do you want to know more about the pelvic floor muscles? Then read this article.
The openings in the pelvic floor
There are a few openings in the pelvic floor; the vagina, the anus and the urethra. These are being neatly closed off whenever it’s necessary. This mostly happens subconsciously, but you can tense up the pelvic floor muscles yourself as well. Retract the anus as if you’re holding back a large piece of feces, or try to hold back urine. The tension you’re feeling is coming from your pelvic floor muscles. The pelvic floor muscles have another important role; catching abdominal pressure. Abdominal pressure pushes downwards, which means it’s going to your pelvic floor. There are a few moments when the abdominal pressure increases. When you laugh, sneeze or cough, for example. The pelvic floor will be able to catch the additional pressure without any issues if it’s in good shape, but the additional pressure can become too much for the openings to stay closed if the pelvic floor muscles are unfit. You could lose urine or feces.
The functions of the pelvis and the pelvic floor
The pelvis and the pelvic floor have the following main tasks and functions:
- The pelvic floor has openings for the anus, urethra and/or the vagina.
- The pelvic floor muscles automatically close these openings.
- The pelvic floor provides stability and support from the inside.
- The pelvic floor ensures that the organs stay in place.
- The pelvic floor ensures that you can go to the toilet whenever you want.
- The pelvic floor ensures that you can have sex in a relaxing manner.
- The pelvic bone protects your organs.
Now we have an idea of the functions your pelvis and pelvic floor have. A lot, right? Let’s pick out some and go deeper into their crucial functions.
The crucial function of the pelvic floor
We now know that the pelvic floor muscles are a layer of muscles, located in the pelvis. These muscles close off the pelvis in a funnel or hammock-like manner. There are a few openings in the pelvic floor. Because the pelvic floor muscles are always somewhat tensed up by default, these openings are subconsciously always closed off. This is how your urine and stools will stay put until you visit the toilet. However, the pelvic floor muscles aren’t only of importance when it comes to what’s in your bladder or intestines. They also play an important role when it comes to sex.
The pelvic floor muscles and urinating
Your bladder is a storage for urine. The bladder is located in the pelvis and is surrounded by muscles. Those muscles are able to empty the bladder, but they also keep the bladder in place. A nerve will send a signal to your brain once the bladder is full, so that you know that you need to go to the toilet. The urethra is attached to your bladder and is closed off by a sphincter. The moment you’re on the toilet and wanting to urinate you will, contrary to popular belief, relax the muscles in the pelvic floor and the sphincter with it as well. Many people think that you’re urinating by tensing up the muscles, but that’s not true. You narrow the opening by tensing up the muscles, your stream will shrink but will become more powerful.
Have a visual example: Think about a balloon. If you let it deflate and leave it as it is, it will deflate fast. But if you make the opening smaller, less air will escape. You will hear a high note because there is a lot of air trying to escape through a very small gap. It’s the same thing when it comes to urinating. Tensing up seems helpful, but that isn’t the case.
If you still want to know more about how you can urinate properly, have a read I’ve written for you about toilet habits. Click on the blue word and you will be directed to the right blog. I’ve prepared many interesting blogs for you to explore on this website!
The pelvic floor muscles and bowel movements
The intestines are organs a couple of meters long and are located in your pelvic area. The large intestine, small intestine, but the rectum too. The rectum is the last part of the intestines, where your feces are being stored before it leaves your body. You will get the feeling you need to do a number two once the rectum is filled. The pelvic floor muscles keep the anus closed through subconscious tension. If you sit on the toilet and relax the pelvic floor muscles and the anus (comparable to a sphincter), feces will pass the rectum through your anus.
Don’t force it when you need to poop, even if it isn’t going easy. The pelvic floor muscles need to relax to be able to get your stools out. Causing additional tension will only make it more difficult.
If you want to know more about the right ways to go about your bowel movements, take a look at my blog about toilet habits and go through the advice.
Enough about feces and dookies, let us focus on sex.
The pelvic floor muscles and sex
The pelvic floor muscles play a crucial role when it comes to being intimate or having sex. Your pelvic floor needs to be able to relax so that you can enjoy it. For both men and women, blood flow to the penis or vagina is of huge importance. Pelvic floor muscles that are either overly weak or excessively active can negatively impact sexual experiences. I will briefly discuss the side effects of pelvic issues and sex. If you would like some in-depth information about this specific topic, I advise you to take a look around the website after reading this blog. I have blogs specifically for women and sexual issues caused by pelvic issues, men and sexual issues caused by pelvic issues, sexual issues caused by overactive pelvic floor muscles, sexual issues caused by weakened pelvic floor muscles, sex positions for pelvic issues, sex positions for during pregnancy, and a lot more tips and advice for sex.
4 common pelvic issues during sex
If you’re experiencing issues during sex, it can be the case that your pelvic floor muscles are the root of your pelvic issues. There can be other causes, of course, but let us first look at the most common issues and what we can do about it.
common pelvic issues during sex if your pelvic floor is the cause:
- Experiencing less sensation during sex or intimacy.
- Experiencing pain when inserting a finger, penis or dildo.
- Experiencing pain during penetration. A chafing and painful sensation.
- Urinary loss during sex or during a climax.
There are a lot of known causes when it comes to pelvic issues and sexuality.
If you happen to have had a negative experience when it comes to sex, then this could also affect your muscular tension in your pelvic floor. You already are wary when sex is initiated and you could be reminded of a previous negative experience. You will negotiate intimacy with additional tension.
Overly tense or overactive pelvic floor muscles and sex
If your pelvic floor is too tight, too tensed up or too active, blood will be unable to properly flow to the penis or vagina. It will also be difficult to insert something in the vagina and the pelvic floor muscles will not be able to relax properly. This is known as vaginismus, and it can be an issue for both men and women.
Because your pelvic floor muscles are too tensed up, you might experience pain during sex and penetration. Your muscles could also be sore or you might have tension headaches.
Having a tense pelvic floor can lead to a lack of orgasm or a less strong orgasm.
Overactive pelvic floor muscles can also cause urinary loss. You will experience pain during penetration because the muscles cannot properly relax.
Pelvic floor muscles that are too weak and sex
If your pelvic floor muscles are too weak, you might lose urine during sex or during a climax. Because the muscles are weak, it will also be difficult to keep an erection or keep the vagina tight.
Weak pelvic floor muscles can lead to less sensation during sex or intimacy.
A weak pelvic floor will cause problems with the functionality of the penis or vagina.
If you want to know more about strengthening your pelvic floor muscles, I recommend you take a look at the pelvic floor exercises.
Pelvic floor muscles, pregnancy and sex
Pelvic floor problems are common during pregnancy, but it’s also a crucial period to take care of your pelvic floor muscles. During pregnancy, your pelvis is exposed to the strain of the fetus, the amniotic fluid, placenta, and uterus. This puts extra pressure on your pelvic floor muscles. A weak or overly tense pelvic floor during pregnancy can contribute to discomfort during sex, urinary leakage, and difficulty with pelvic stability.
If you want to talk more about pelvic floor issues and sex, or if you have specific questions, I’m here to help. Would you like advice on exercises, relaxation techniques, or positions that might help?
And lastly, are you looking for more information?
Hopefully this information was useful to you! If you’re still looking for some more information, feel free to take another look around on the website. It’s filled with in-depth information, tips, a web shop and also exercises. I still have a lot of articles with lots of information about other symptoms and issues. Feel free to click on the blue words to take you straight to the right page.
