How Hormones Can Impact Pelvic Health

Hey all, it’s Courtney. We are continuing the conversation around Women’s Health and Amy talked about symptoms and hormone changes that can happen when someone is dealing with PCOS. It reminded me about how we have so many hormones that play a role in women’s health and how it even effects our pelvic floor specifically! With PCOS, there usually is elevated testosterone and estrogen, too much estrogen can cause laxity in our ligaments or connective tissue and make us more prone to pain or nerve impingements. 

ESTROGEN

Estrogen is a hormone that is released mostly by the ovaries, and it can be released by the adrenal glands as well. It is involved in the development of breasts, pubic hair, armpit hair, and regulates menstrual cycle by increasing at ovulation to help release the egg.

Estrogen is produced with varying levels within your system depending on time of ovulation. Estrogen is at its highest during ovulation. These higher levels of estrogen may cause something called ligament laxity.  This is exactly how it sounds our ligaments can become more relaxed and loose during this period. When this happens, the muscles in the pelvic floor and those surrounding the pelvic may need to compensate, working harder in supporting the contents of the pelvic. You may begin to notice the feeling of being ‘off’ or ‘out’ at this time. Maybe thinking to yourself, ‘I could use an adjustment, I should get in for a massage, or back to physical therapy’.

As individuals, women produce a varied amount of estrogen. If one is producing less then normal amounts of estrogen, decreased ligament laxity is most likely not an issue. Breastfeeding or menopausal mamas are two examples of who might notice decreased estrogen levels within their systems. Decreased estrogen levels can cause a decrease in vaginal lubrication, as estrogen helps with the production of lubrication. One may notice dry tissue. This can be cause for concern if pain or tearing with intimacy is noticed. Lubrication would be recommended to decrease vaginal wall muscle tightness in response to added dryness.

To continue learning about the other hormones that also can play a role, hop on over to the blog: https://www.momentoftruthpt.com/how-hormones-can-impact-the-pelvic-floor-2/

Stay turned as we will be covering PCOS and Endometriosis more in depth, and how pelvic PT and shockwave therapy can help. Reach out if you have any questions at all!