There is so much going on through our teenage years, that the last thing we should have to be contending with is pelvic floor problems.

However, pelvic floor dysfunction can and does occur in this age group (most common is bladder leaks or inability/difficulty in using a tampon or menstrual cup.), so firstly, if it is happening to you then you are not alone, and importantly, with just a few key bits of know-how, you can begin to address and improve any problems no matter how big or small.

It is currently recommended that everybody from the age of 12 should aim to complete daily pelvic floor muscle training(1) – see section on how to do PFMT. This is to help prevent, as well as lessen any pelvic floor muscle dysfunction. 

The current recommendations are for adolescents to be doing on average 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise per day, including muscle and bone strengthening activities on three of these days. During our teens, it is an extremely important time to be building up our bone bank for later in life (this is achieved through muscle and bone strengthening exercise alongside a diet that has enough calcium & vitamin D). There is no second chance at this, so especially if any pelvic floor dysfunctions, e.g., bladder leaks, are stopping you from exercising, then it is vitally important that you seek some help. The first step in helping yourself is to start some daily PFMT (see section on How to do Pelvic Floor Muscle Training). The exercise required to build up our bones & muscles is weight bearing, high impact and resistance type exercise – exactly the type of exercise that has the highest prevalence of bladder leaks(2). 

It has also been shown that bladder and bowel habits in our younger years can set us up for what might be to come in adulthood. So be sure to: 

• Aim to drink plenty of water each day (aim for at least 1.5 litres of water and more on training/exercise days) 
• Only go to the toilet when you need it (i.e., don’t keep going ‘just in case’) 
• Get any pain seen to, as pain can be a cause of muscle tension which can then in turn lead to pelvic floor muscle dysfunction 
• Avoid any straining on the toilet when opening bowels or passing urine (two key things to implement here is to; 1. Get a step under your feet and 2. Repeatedly breathe into your tummy. Then just wait instead of pushing down) 

A reminder here that it is never normal for periods to be very painful. If the pain is to the level that it stops you being able to do your school work, or complete training, or disturbing your sleep, then speak to someone you trust who can help you. This might be a parent, teacher or GP. Keep trying different people if necessary until somebody is able to help you.

References

NICE (2021). Pelvic floor dysfunction: prevention and non-surgical management. NICE guideline NG210.  

Lourenco et al (2017). Urinary Incontinence in female athletes: a systematic review. Int Urogynecol J, Dec.