You laugh at a friend's joke and feel that familiar leak. You avoid the trampoline at your kid's birthday party. By the end of a long day, there's an uncomfortable heaviness low in your pelvis that you can't quite explain. If any of this sounds familiar, your pelvic floor might be asking for more support—and you're far from alone.

Many Canadian women notice their pelvic floor needs attention when they experience bladder leaks, a heavy or dragging feeling in the pelvis, pain with sex, trouble controlling gas or bowel movements, or a constant urge to pee. These are all signals worth paying attention to—and reasons to consider pelvic floor assessment and strengthening.

Here's the encouraging truth: these symptoms are common, but they're not something you have to accept as "just part of being a woman." This guide will walk you through the five key signs your pelvic floor needs more support, what they actually mean, and what you can do about them—both with professional help and supportive tools like the Femme Flexor.

What Your Pelvic Floor Does (and Why It Matters)

Your pelvic floor is a group of muscles that stretch like a hammock across the base of your pelvis. These muscles have several important jobs: they support your bladder, uterus, and bowel; they help you control urine, gas, and bowel movements; they contribute to sexual sensation and comfort; and they work together with your core and posture muscles.

When these muscles weaken, become too tight, or lose coordination, you may start noticing symptoms that affect your daily life, confidence, and comfort. The good news? Like any muscle group, your pelvic floor responds to training—and understanding what your body is telling you is the first step toward meaningful improvement.

Sign #1 – Bladder Leaks When You Cough, Laugh, or Exercise

If you've ever crossed your legs before a sneeze or avoided jumping exercises altogether, you've experienced stress urinary incontinence—the most common type of bladder leakage. This happens when physical activities like coughing, laughing, sneezing, running, jumping, or lifting put sudden pressure on your bladder that your pelvic floor can't counteract.

Stress incontinence is particularly common after pregnancy and childbirth, during perimenopause and menopause, and among women who do high-impact activities. But common doesn't mean inevitable. Clinical guidelines consistently recommend pelvic floor muscle training as a first-line treatment for stress incontinence, and many women see significant improvement with consistent, progressive exercise.

The key insight here: your pelvic floor muscles need to be both strong enough and quick enough to respond to sudden pressure increases. Training that builds strength and coordination—rather than just doing occasional "air Kegels"—tends to produce better results.

Sign #2 – A Heavy, Dragging, or "Falling Out" Feeling in Your Pelvis

A sensation of heaviness, pressure, or fullness low in your pelvis—especially after being on your feet all day, lifting, or toward evening—can indicate that your pelvic floor muscles aren't providing adequate support for your pelvic organs. Some women describe it as feeling like something is "falling out" or "sitting too low."

This sensation may be an early sign of pelvic organ prolapse, where the bladder, uterus, or rectum shifts downward due to weakened support. If you notice a visible bulge at your vaginal opening, or if pelvic heaviness is accompanied by difficulty emptying your bladder or bowels completely, please see a healthcare provider.

For mild symptoms, pelvic floor strengthening can help provide better muscular support and may prevent progression. A pelvic floor physiotherapist can assess the degree of any prolapse and recommend appropriate exercises and lifestyle modifications.

Sign #3 – Constant Urge to Pee or Trouble Making It to the Bathroom

Do you find yourself mapping out bathroom locations wherever you go? Waking multiple times at night to urinate? Feeling like you never quite "fully empty"? These patterns—often called urge incontinence or overactive bladder symptoms—can also relate to pelvic floor function.

While urgency can have multiple causes (bladder habits, fluid intake, certain foods and drinks, hormonal changes), your pelvic floor plays a key role in bladder control and coordination. Sometimes the issue isn't weakness but muscle tension or poor coordination—the muscles may be too tight, not relaxing properly, or not timing their contractions well.

This is another reason why professional assessment matters: a pelvic floor physiotherapist can help determine whether you need strengthening, relaxation techniques, or coordination training.

Sign #4 – Pain or Discomfort During Sex, Tampon Use, or Pelvic Exams

Pelvic floor muscles can be too tight, too weak, or poorly coordinated—and all of these can contribute to pain with penetration. If you experience discomfort during sex, difficulty inserting tampons, or pain during pelvic exams, your pelvic floor may be involved.

Pain with penetration is common but always worth addressing. Many women assume they just need to "relax more," but tight, guarded pelvic floor muscles don't respond well to willpower alone. A pelvic floor physiotherapist can assess muscle tension, teach relaxation techniques, and help you understand whether any strengthening is appropriate.

Sign #5 – Trouble Controlling Gas or Bowel Movements

Your pelvic floor muscles also help control your anal sphincter and support bowel continence. Signs that this function needs attention include difficulty holding gas in social situations, mild fecal smearing, or needing to "rush" urgently to the bathroom for bowel movements.

Bowel symptoms are especially important not to ignore. If you're experiencing changes in bowel control, please bring this up with your healthcare provider. While pelvic floor weakness can be a factor, other causes should be ruled out, and early intervention tends to produce better outcomes.

When These Signs Mean You Should See a Professional Right Away

Most pelvic floor symptoms develop gradually and respond well to conservative treatment. However, certain signs warrant prompt medical attention:

How to Start Supporting Your Pelvic Floor at Home

While professional assessment provides the best foundation, there are safe starting points for home support:

Posture and breathing awareness: Your pelvic floor works with your diaphragm. Practice diaphragmatic breathing—letting your belly expand on inhale—which naturally coordinates with pelvic floor movement.

Learn to contract AND relax: Many women focus only on squeezing but forget that relaxation is equally important. A healthy pelvic floor can both contract strongly and release fully.

Avoid common irritants: "Just in case" peeing (going when you don't really need to), straining with constipation, and breath-holding during lifting can all stress your pelvic floor over time.

Basic Kegel practice: Contract your pelvic floor muscles (as if stopping urine mid-stream) for 3-5 seconds, then fully relax for 3-5 seconds. Start with 10 repetitions, 2-3 times daily. Focus on quality over quantity.

Progressive Resistance Training: Where the Femme Flexor Fits In

Once you understand your symptoms and have been cleared for internal pelvic floor exercise, progressive resistance training can help your muscles strengthen more effectively than squeezing against air alone.

The Femme Flexor was created by Wanda Cotie, a Canadian sexual wellness entrepreneur, specifically to address this need. The patented design targets all three layers of pelvic floor muscles, providing gentle, consistent resistance that helps muscles engage more completely and build strength progressively.

Living with Confidence: You're Not Alone and You're Not Broken

If you recognized yourself in any of these five signs, please know that you're not alone, and you're certainly not broken. Millions of Canadian women experience pelvic floor symptoms—and many find significant improvement once they understand what's happening and take supportive action.

Seeking help isn't a sign of failure. It's a sign of self-awareness and strength. Whether that means booking an appointment with a pelvic floor physiotherapist, making simple lifestyle adjustments, or adding progressive resistance training with a tool like the Femme Flexor—meaningful improvement is possible.

Your pelvic floor can change and respond to training at many ages and stages. The first step is simply paying attention to what your body is telling you.

FAQs: Common Questions About Pelvic Floor Support