How Stress Impacts the Pelvic Floor: Pregnancy, Birth, and Beyond
Stress is something that many of us experience daily. It's part of life. But when it comes to pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum journey, stress doesn't just impact our minds—it can deeply affect our bodies, particularly our pelvic floor. Understanding how chronic stress manifests in the body and its long-term effects on pelvic health is key to supporting not only your body’s recovery but also your mental health throughout this transformative time. In this post, we'll explore how stress impacts the pelvic floor, the emerging evidence on parental stress, and how we can work to build a more resilient nervous system to better manage stress and its physical effects.
Stress and the Pelvic Floor
The pelvic floor is a group of muscles that support your bladder, bowels, and uterus. It plays a crucial role during pregnancy and childbirth, providing the strength and elasticity needed to support the growing baby and assist with delivery. But, just like any other part of your body, your pelvic floor can become impacted by the effects of stress.
When we’re under stress, our body shifts into the "fight or flight" response, controlled by the sympathetic nervous system. This causes the muscles in our body to tighten, including the pelvic floor muscles. In a natural, non-stressed state, these muscles need to be flexible, able to contract and relax in coordination with breathing, posture, and movement. However, when stressed, we tend to hold tension in our pelvic floor. This can cause it to become stiff and overactive, leading to pelvic floor dysfunction, including urinary incontinence, painful intercourse, or even pelvic pain.
Pregnancy, Birth, and the Pelvic Floor
During pregnancy, the pelvic floor undergoes significant changes as it works to support your growing baby. But stress can add an extra layer of complexity to this already taxing process. When stress impacts the pelvic floor during pregnancy, it can exacerbate tension, potentially leading to pelvic girdle pain and making it harder for the muscles to stretch and relax during labor. This may make the body less equipped to handle the pressures and stretches of childbirth, potentially leading to issues like tearing or difficulty with labor progression.
Even after birth, stress can continue to impact the pelvic floor. Postpartum recovery involves healing and regaining strength and flexibility, but chronic stress can delay this process. In fact, research has shown that stress and anxiety may contribute to longer recovery times, increased pain, and a greater risk of pelvic floor dysfunction.
The State of Parents: New Evidence on Parental Stress
There’s new evidence that highlights how stressed parents are, and how this stress continues to take a toll long after the birth of their child. Studies show that new parents—particularly mothers—are more stressed than ever before, with a combination of sleep deprivation, balancing new responsibilities, societal pressures, and sometimes even financial strain. In fact, new research indicates that about 50% of new mothers report feeling stressed, anxious, or overwhelmed in the first year postpartum. Many of these stressors are compounded by the lack of support or resources, leaving parents to navigate these challenges largely on their own.
This chronic stress doesn't just stay in your mind—it manifests physically. Prolonged stress can lead to hormone imbalances, digestive issues, disrupted sleep, and an overactive nervous system, all of which impact the pelvic floor. When we don’t take time to relax, recover, and release that tension, the body starts to hold onto it, which impacts muscle function and coordination.
Chronic Stress and Physical Changes in the Body
Chronic stress can lead to long-term physical changes in the body. When the body remains in a state of high alert for too long, it starts to take a toll. Our muscles stay in a constant state of tension, our breathing becomes shallow, our hormones become imbalanced, and systems like digestion and sleep suffer. This not only impacts our overall wellbeing but can also have lasting effects on pelvic health.
As mentioned, the pelvic floor is heavily affected by stress. Chronic tension can lead to pelvic floor disorders, such as pelvic pain, urinary incontinence, and sexual dysfunction. These issues can continue to persist or worsen without proper intervention, including pelvic floor therapy and stress management.
Building a Resilient Nervous System
The good news is that we don’t have to just accept chronic stress as part of the deal. We have the ability to train our nervous system to handle stress better. Rather than just managing stress, we want to build resilience, which allows our bodies to tolerate stress more effectively. This resilience gives us a higher threshold for stress without it negatively affecting our pelvic floor or overall health.
Building a resilient nervous system requires intentional practices to help us activate the “rest and digest” portion of the nervous system (parasympathetic), counteracting the “fight or flight” response (sympathetic). This can be achieved through deep breathing exercises, relaxation techniques, mindfulness, and, of course, physical movement that targets both the body and mind.
By learning how to regulate the nervous system and manage stress, we create a foundation for optimal pelvic health. When we can decrease the physical response to stress, we allow the pelvic floor to return to its ideal state: relaxed, flexible, and strong.
Start Building Resilience Today
If you’re ready to start building more resilience and working on your pelvic health, I’ve put together a sequence on my YouTube channel that targets stress relief and pelvic floor recovery. This sequence is designed to help restore balance in your body and nervous system, giving you the tools to recover from the physical and emotional stress that comes with pregnancy, birth, and motherhood.
Here are 3 other places to start:
Prioritize Sleep: Good sleep is key to regulating stress hormones and promoting physical recovery. Create a sleep routine that encourages rest and gives your body a chance to repair itself.
Try Mindful Movement: Yoga is a wonderful way to build both flexibility and resilience, and it specifically targets the pelvic floor and core. Check out my free guide on pelvic floor stretches designed for mindful movement. These simple stretches help release tension, promote relaxation, and build resilience, making them perfect for managing stress in your busy life.
Breathe to Calm the Nervous System: Practicing deep, diaphragmatic breathing helps stimulate the vagus nerve, which balances the fight-or-flight response in the body. This can lead to a calmer, more relaxed pelvic floor. Start with a simple body scan, paying attention to areas of tension as you breathe.
Remember, you don’t have to navigate this journey alone. Stress is a natural part of life, but with the right tools, you can build resilience to ensure a healthier, stronger body and mind throughout your postpartum journey.
