Support your pelvic floor, one bathroom trip at a time!
Whether you’re managing pelvic organ prolapse, aiming to reduce bladder urgency, or simply want to feel more confident in your daily routines, attention to your bladder and bowel health is essential.
Let’s take a look at some habits we often talk about in our consults—many are simple, sensible and surprisingly powerful.
☕ Start the Day Right
Ever noticed how your morning coffee gets things moving? You’re not imagining it. For many women, a warm cup in the morning, combined with a relaxed routine, helps trigger that first daily bowel movement. The magic? It’s the coffee along with a consistent rhythm and routine that your gut learns to rely on.
💧 Hydration, Hydration, Hydration
Your bladder and bowel both thrive when you’re well-hydrated. Dehydration makes your stool harder and more difficult to pass, which increases the risk of straining, something we strongly want to avoid when supporting the pelvic floor and prolapse symptoms.
Aim for evenly spaced sips throughout the day (not just a litre before bed or first thing in the morning! Bladders hate big volumes all at once). Intake amount varies with weather, our work and exercise, and other health conditions. Your physiotherapist can do a bladder diary with you to work out what is right for you and your lifestyle.
🥝 Don’t Underestimate the Kiwifruit
There’s growing evidence that 1–2 green kiwifruit per day can improve bowel regularity. They contain both soluble and insoluble fibre, and a natural enzyme (actinidin) that can enhance digestion. A kiwifruit or 2 per day can be life changing for those sluggish bowels.
🌈 Variety Matters: Eat the Rainbow
The gut microbiome, the collection of bacteria in your digestive tract, thrives on diversity. Research suggests aiming for 30 different plant-based foods each week, including fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds. This variety supports a more resilient, happier gut and that’s good news for your immunity as well as your bowels and bladder. Aim for a dinner plate that looks like a rainbow.
🚽 The Art of Not Straining
Straining is one of the most common contributing factors to prolapse progression and pelvic floor weakness. We talk about this a lot with our patients, because it’s easy to underestimate its impact.
Try these key strategies:
- Try using a footstool when on the toilet to get into a better ‘squat-like’ position.
- Breathe out gently as you open your bowels (no breath-holding).
- Never push ‘just in case’. Wait until your body tells you it’s time…. and when it tells you it is time, please listen and go.
Your physiotherapist can help troubleshoot issues like incomplete emptying, frequent straining, or difficulty initiating a bowel movement. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution, and your bowel plan might involve a mix of dietary adjustments, positioning strategies, and pelvic floor coordination work.
👩⚕️ Personalised Guidance is Key
At Secret Women’s Business, we don’t just hand out generic advice like “add more fibre and drink more water.” Every woman’s routine, gut health, bladder capacity, and pelvic floor function is different. Our team takes the time to understand your full story; what you eat, how you move and your daily routines, so we can guide you with a clear, personalised plan.
Get in touch with the team at Secret Women’s Business Physiotherapy.
📍 Menai, NSW
📞 9543 8090
🌐 swbphysio.com.au
