Common Is Not Normal: What Every Woman Should Know About Her Pelvic Floor

Every October, we talk about breast checks. Pink ribbons, reminders, appointments. Good — that conversation saves lives.

But there is another part of a woman's body almost nobody checks. Nobody talks about it at dinner. Most women never even learned its name: the pelvic floor.

And almost every week, a woman tells me the same sentence: "It's normal. I had kids." It's common. That doesn't make it normal.

You're not alone, and that's the problem

About 1 in 4 women has at least one pelvic floor problem, according to a nationally representative study published in JAMA. Leaking in particular is widespread: population studies find that close to half of women experience urinary leaking at some point in their lives.

So when you laugh and feel that little leak, you're not the only one. But because so many women live with it, we started calling it normal. And when something is "normal," nobody does anything about it.

Many women wait years before they ask for help. Not because it doesn't bother them — because they're embarrassed.

What is the pelvic floor?

Think of a hammock of muscles at the bottom of your core, stretching from your pubic bone at the front to your tailbone at the back. That hammock has three jobs:

• Support: it holds your bladder, uterus and bowel in place.
• Control: it keeps you dry when you cough, sneeze, laugh, run or lift.
• Strength: it works as a team with your deep belly muscles, your breathing and your posture.

When this team works, you don't even think about it. When it doesn't, you feel it everywhere: in your bladder, your belly, your back and your confidence.

The signs most women ignore

• A small leak when you sneeze, laugh, cough or jump.
• A feeling of heaviness or pressure down below, especially at the end of the day.
• A lower belly that won't flatten, no matter how much you train or diet — often abdominal separation rather than fat.
• Avoiding running, jumping or certain exercises "just in case."
• Discomfort, or feeling different, during intimacy since giving birth.

One of these is enough to pay attention to.

It's not only for mothers

Pregnancy and birth put big demands on the pelvic floor. About 60% of women have a separation of their belly muscles at 6 weeks after birth, and around a third still have it a year later, in a study following 300 first-time mothers in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

But I also see women who never had children: runners, women doing CrossFit, HIIT or jumping classes, women lifting heavy while holding their breath, and women going through menopause.

The pelvic floor is a muscle group. Every woman has one. Every woman can train it.

The 3 mistakes I see every week

Mistake 1: Kegels on the sofa. Squeezing while watching TV is a start, not a plan. Your pelvic floor has to work while you stand, walk, lift and carry your kids. That's where it needs to be trained.

Mistake 2: Stopping all exercise. Many women get scared and stop moving completely. The muscles get weaker, and the fear gets bigger.

Mistake 3: Random workouts and chasing the scale. Classes, general trainers, crash diets. Losing weight alone doesn't fix what's happening underneath — and a lot of crunches and jumping, done the wrong way, add pressure to a pelvic floor that isn't ready.

The answer is not more effort. It's the right training, in the right order.

3 things you can start noticing today

These aren't a program. They're a first step to connect with your body.

1. Watch your breath when you lift. Picking up your child or a shopping bag? Notice if you hold your breath and push down. Try breathing out gently as you lift instead.
2. Notice how you stand. Ribs flared, belly pushed out, weight on your heels? Stack your ribs over your hips — the pelvic floor works better in a good position.
3. Learn to let go, not just squeeze. A strong pelvic floor also knows how to relax. If you're always clenching, that can be part of the problem too.

Every woman's body is different, and results vary. But one thing is true for all of us: waiting has never made a weak muscle stronger.

This October, check yourself too

You check your breasts. Check your pelvis too. Not Kegels on the sofa. Not stopping exercise. Not waiting until it gets worse. The right training, step by step.

That's why I built the SUPERWOMAN 100-Day Pelvic Strength Program: gym training, daily home routines, nutrition, and me checking in with you every day on WhatsApp. It's for every woman, with or without children. Many also lose weight and tone up along the way.

See if it's right for you — the 2-minute application ➜

And if this article made you think of a friend, a sister or your mom, send it to her. Most women are waiting for someone to say it out loud.

Rony Kawkab

Fitness and nutrition coach. BSc in Sports Science and a European Diploma in Coaching (France). Founder of the SUPERWOMAN program for women. Lost 40 kg himself. Not a doctor — this article is education, built on published medical guidance, and is not a substitute for your own doctor’s advice.

1. Nygaard I, et al. Prevalence of symptomatic pelvic floor disorders in US women. JAMA, 2008 — 23.7% of women had at least one pelvic floor disorder.
2. Sperstad JB, et al. Diastasis recti abdominis during pregnancy and 12 months after childbirth. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2016 — 60% at 6 weeks, 32.6% at 12 months, in 300 first-time mothers.
3. Thom DH, et al. Prevalence of urinary incontinence in women — population studies report wide-ranging rates, reaching close to half of women depending on age and definition.
4. Subak LL, et al. Weight loss to treat urinary incontinence in overweight and obese women. NEJM, 2009 — 47% fewer weekly leaking episodes with a diet-and-exercise program.