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Top 5 Nutrients to Improve Sleep In Perimenopause
By Dr. Jessica Drummond, DCN, CNS, PT, NBC-HWC Navigating the shifts of perimenopause and menopause can feel like a balancing act, especially when it comes to maintaining quality sleep. Evidence suggests that Medical Hormone Therapy (MHT) can support optimal…
Stress + Its Impact on Pelvic Health
By Aliya Dhalla, Pelvic Health PT, Educator & Coach One thing is for certain: stress is a fact of life. Stress itself is simply a reaction to something challenging, difficult, or dangerous. If you’ve ever wondered why your neck is…
Tips for Managing PCOS-Related Pelvic Pain
By Amanda Olson DPT, PRPC Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a prevalent hormonal disorder affecting up to 1 in 10 women. While PCOS primarily impacts the reproductive system, its ripple effects extend to the pelvic floor. The tension and stress resulting…
The Intersection of Orthopaedics and Pelvic Health
By Danielle Santora, PT, DPT, OCS As a child and an adolescent, if you were to ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would have most definitely replied by saying a professional student. Seriously. I…
5 Tips to Tame Your Bladder
By Lara Desrosiers, MSc, OT, POP Warrior If you find yourself… Frequently interrupted by the urge to jet to the toilet The sense that you gotta get there right away, or you are going to leak! When you do go,…
The Impacts of Breast Cancer on Pelvic Health
By Chelsea Anjeski, Pelvic Health Physical Therapist According to the American Cancer Society, 1 in 8 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime and, currently, there are 4 million women with a history…
Pelvic Pain: Beyond Diaphragmatic Breathing
By Paige Genova, Pelvic Health Occupational Therapist, PRT Therapist Now, don’t get me wrong. I love teaching my patients diaphragmatic breathing as a tool to help stimulate their vagus nerve and “downtrain” their nervous system. However, it is just a…
Why We Lengthen Before We Strengthen
By Nisha Patel, Pelvic Health Physiotherapist The piece of advice that my clients find most surprising in my practice revolves around a fundamental principle: before we strengthen your pelvic floor, we focus on lengthening it. In fact, strengthening might not…
Debunking UTIs: Your Friendly Guide to Prevention
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are like uninvited guests at a never-ending party – persistent, uncomfortable, and oh-so-common. It’s a health woe that’s not often talked about openly, and even though UTIs are a widespread issue, it seems we’re still missing…
The Ultimate Guide to IC Flare Management
By Callie Krajcir, Registered Dietititan, IC Warrior Whether you’ve had interstitial cystitis for weeks or years, then I’m sure you’re familiar with flare-ups of your symptoms. I’m first going to define what a “flare” is, then I will reveal the…
A Comprehensive Guide to Vaginal Dilators
Living with vaginal pelvic floor issues can be a challenging journey, often affecting your physical and emotional well-being. However, there are various tools and techniques available to help manage vaginal muscle tightening and improve your quality of life. One such…
My Journey With Vestibulodynia as a Patient and Clinician
By Jillian Giannini, PT, DPT Have you heard of Vulvodynia, Vaginismus, or Vestibulodynia? Well, in this blog, I’m going to focus on Vestibulodynia. I’m especially passionate about it because of my own personal journey experiencing it. It is key to…
How Pelvic Devices Can Improve Sexual Health & Reduce Pain and Incontinence
By Julie Blacker, Pelvic Health OT, MS Ed If you are experiencing pelvic pain and/or incontinence, impacting sexual health and participation, you are not alone. When it comes to pelvic pain, sexual health, and incontinence issues, many individuals suffer in…
Perimenopause, Menopause and Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy
By Christine Klein, PT, DPT, WCS, CPT, PCES As a pelvic floor physical therapist, I see so many women in their 40’s, 50’s, 60’s and beyond with pelvic floor problems like urinary leakage, bothersome urinary urgency and frequency, pelvic organ…
An Integrative Approach to Managing PCOS
By Alexis Brooks, Pelvic Health Dietitian Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), a complex hormonal disorder that affects 1 in 10 women, can impact many aspects of a woman’s health and quality of life. From irregular periods to insulin resistance, digestive issues,…
Sensual Intimacy Without Penetration — 6 Activities to Try Tonight
By Dr. Sadie Allison, Sexologist It’s a common misconception that sex has to involve penetration. Finding alternative ways of exploring pleasure with your partner can deepen your emotional connection and help you experience new avenues of sexual arousal and satisfaction.…
What is Endo Belly?
By Dr. Jessica Drummond, DCN, CNS, PT, Author of Outsmart Endometriosis One of the most frustrating challenges that those with endometriosis face is how to relieve the chronic bloating known as “Endo Belly.” Over the years, my practice has seen…
Painful Sex Can Go Away: Here’s What You Need to Know
By Julie Sarton, PT, DPT, WCS Scope of the Problem Painful sex is more common than you think. Studies indicate anywhere from 25-60% of women will experience sexual pain at some point in their life. (Trahan 2019). Painful sex (also…
Lady Parts: A Dramedy Film about Vaginal and Vulvar Health
By Bonnie Gross (Writer, Producer, Vulvodynia & Vaginismus Warrior) & Nancy Boyd (Director, Vaginismus Warrior) For Bonnie Gross & Nancy Boyd, a trip to the gynaecologist was like a horror movie, so they teamed together to make a story about…
The Unseen and Unacknowledged World of Vaginismus
By Jess Seitz, OTR/L, Vaginismus Warrior For many women who face vaginismus, the challenges they encounter go far beyond their pelvic floor response. There is an unseen and often unacknowledged impact of vaginismus on the body, mind, and soul that…
7 Tips for Working Through POP Setbacks
By Lara Desrosiers, MSc, OT, POP Warrior Prolapse recovery often involves ups and downs. I consider a setback to be any experience with my POP that might send me into a tailspin of worry about my POP getting worse, helplessness…
How Somatic Tracking Can Transform Your Chronic Pelvic Pain
By Dr. Aakriti Agrawal , PT, DPT Living with chronic pelvic pain can be an overwhelming and isolating experience; often feeling as though the pain is controlling every aspect of your life. But there is hope. A transformative technique called…
Role of OT in Men’s Pelvic Health
By Lainie Givens, OTR/L, CPHS As we attempt to put more of a spotlight on men’s pelvic health, it is important to note different specialists equipped to treat men’s pelvic health issues. Although not as widely acknowledged as physical therapy…
Empowering Recovery: 5 Essential Tools for Healing Pelvic Pain
By Dana Rosen, Pelvic Pain Warrior & Coach Pelvic pain affects 1 in 7 individuals born with a uterus at some point in their lives. Because there are so many organs, muscles, ligaments, and fascia all in one place, diagnosing…
UTIs & Menopause: Understanding the Link and Treatment Options
By Natalie McCulloch, Naturopathic Doctor Menopause is a natural biological process that marks the end of a woman’s reproductive life. While menopause comes with several physical and psychological changes, one issue that often goes undiscussed is the increased risk of…
Understanding Pelvic Congestion Syndrome
By Keri Martin Vrbanac, Pelvic PT When we think of the pelvic floor, our most immediate thoughts go the pelvic floor muscles and although they are a VERY important part of our pelvic health, there are several other significantly important…
Should You Eat Soy in Perimenopause?
By Leslie Weidner, Registered Dietitian, Perimenopause Nutrition Coach Soy foods have become quite controversial on whether or not to consume them during midlife. Perimenopause is a transitional and often confusing time for women, and making it even more confusing is…
Why Your Breath Is So Important For Pelvic Health
By Aliya Dhalla, Pelvic Health PT, Educator & Coach A recent study of over 25,000 women revealed that 32% of them experienced at least one pelvic floor disorder. Issues like incontinence, strong urges, and prolapse are so very common yet…
Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder & Your Pelvic Floor
By Claire Delcambre, Pelvic Health PT What is Hypermobility? Are you exceptionally “bendy” or “double jointed”? Can you touch your toes with ease, or do a back bend in a yoga class without a thought? Maybe you grew up dancing,…
Why Would You Even Want a Fit Pelvic Floor?
What even is a fit pelvic floor? And why would you care if no one can see it? Read on for five ways a fit pelvic floor can be of great benefit to you. 1. No More Leaking Peeing too…
What is CBD and Why Do I Need It?
By Amy Stein, Pelvic Floor Specialist, Author of Heal Pelvic Pain, Beating Endo Believe the hype! CBD isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. After the Farm Bill was passed in 2018 which removed hemp from being a class 1…
Dr. Curtis Nickel Interview Recap: IC/BPS treatment
Very rarely do we find ourselves in a position to speak on the topic of Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome (IC/BPS) with a clinician that has over 625 publications, whose research spans several decades, and has positively contributed to the understanding…
The Lowdown on Vulvar Moisturization
By Angelique Montano-Bresolin, Pelvic Health Physiotherapist If you’ve ever heard someone mention that they were using something to moisturize their lady lips, you would probably be thinking, ‘Say What???’ Yes ladies, vulvar moisturization can be a game changer for many…
Recognizing Constipation in your Kids and Action Steps to Resolve It
By Annie Close, MSOT, OTR/L Did you know that your child could be pooping every day and still be constipated? If this is new information to you, you are not alone. Many parents are shocked to learn that their child…
Understanding the Conversation Between Your Brain, Gut, and Microbiome
By Dr. Vivian Zhang, PT, DPT Have you ever had a gut feeling or butterflies in your stomach? Such experiences demonstrate the connection between your belly and your brain. The communication between your brain, your gut, and the microorganisms…
Posture & Your Pelvic Floor
By Jeanette Brown, Core/Pelvic Floor Specialist When dealing with pelvic floor issues, we only focus on the area where we’re feeling the discomfort. Did you know how you stand, move and sit has a huge impact on your pelvic floor…
Using PT to Reduce Breeched Position
By Melanie Llanes, Pelvic Health Physiotherapist In the US, approximately 7% of babies are in the breeched position in the third trimester with almost 94% of those babies delivered via cesarean section. This is due to the increased risk of…
5 Ways Strength Training Benefits your Pelvic Health
By Julia Rosenthal, Pelvic Health Physical Therapist People suffering from pelvic pain are often told to avoid strength training to help alleviate a wide range of symptoms like pelvic pain, prolapse, incontinence, constipation and more. This messaging fosters an increased…
Interstitial Cystitis: A CEO’s Journey to Relief
By Heather Florio, CEO Desert Harvest Frequent urination. Constant urgency. Ongoing bladder pain. Never-ending inflammation. Feeling like you have a chronic urinary tract infection (UTI) that never goes away, ever. This is an interview with Heather Florio, CEO of Desert…
The Link between Heavy Menstrual Bleeding & Low Iron
Got period problems? Trust us, you’re not the only one. Nearly 25% of all women experience heavy bleeding, also known as menorrhagia, during their menstrual cycle. While a heavy flow comes with a world of complications — from cramps to…
Push Prep & Physiotherapy
By Grecia Alaniz, Pelvic Health Physiotherapist You may be surprised to hear that physiotherapy has a role to play in your preparation for birth. Most of us will be familiar with childbirth education and prenatal yoga classes as the pillars…
The Opportunity of Perimenopause
By Dr. Bronwyn Hill, Naturopathic Doctor, NAMS Certified Menopause Practitioner I met with a 42 year old woman yesterday who came to me for help with her “hormonal hot mess” as she put it. Periods coming too soon, sometimes…
The side effects of OAB medication and how they impact patient compliance
By Utiva Health If you suffer from overactive bladder (OAB), medication might be a possible solution. There’s just one problem: about 78% of people who start taking OAB drugs stop taking them within the first year. Why? There are many…
Let’s Talk about Pelvic Pain
By Lexi Burtman, Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist Most of us have basic knowledge of what to do when we get a sore throat, headache or back pain, yet we often don’t know what to do when we experience pelvic pain.…
3 Tips to Reduce Erectile Worry and Enjoy Sex
By Susie Gronski, Pelvic Physiotherapist & Rehab Practitioner, AASECT Certified Sexuality Educator and Counselor Sexual performance worry and anxiety negatively impacts male sexual function by inhibiting sexual arousal, sexual desire, and sexual functioning. The brain is the biggest “sex organ”…
Menopause Doesn’t Have to be a Mystery
By Angelique Montano-Bresolin, Pelvic Health Physiotherapist Menopause is a natural part of the aging process for women, marked by the end of menstrual periods and the end of fertility. It is typically defined as occurring 12 months after a woman’s…
Pelvic Health Physiotherapy and Sexual Rehabilitation: Pre/Post-Gender Affirmation Surgery
By Michiko Caringal, MScPT, MHsc in Bioethics, Registered Physiotherapist In Canada, transgender and gender diverse people continue to face barriers to healthcare due to discrimination when seeking safe care. Research illustrates that health care professionals sometimes refuse to provide treatment…
How I Found Out (the hard way) I had a Pelvic Floor!
By Elisha Zavier, CVO, Founder, V Lounge 5 weeks after my son was born, and much to my surprise, I found something poking out of a place it shouldn’t be (firstly, the fact that I could bend that way to…
Pelvic Health Hot Takes
By Pooja Patel and Nisha Patel, Pelvic Health Physiotherapists What if we told you that you regularly talk about your pelvic floor without realizing you are? We all have that group of muscles within our pelvis that support us daily…
Improving Your Gut Health in Perimenopause
By Leslie Weidner, Registered Dietitian, Perimenopause Nutrition Coach Are you experiencing uncomfortable digestive symptoms in perimenopause? You’re not alone!The estrobolome is a collection of bacteria in the gut that is also involved in estrogen metabolism.As our estrogen and progesterone levels…
Why You Shouldn’t Follow The IC Diet Long-Term
By Callie Krajcir, Registered Dietititan, IC Warrior I vividly remember sitting in my urogynecologist’s office years ago and being told that I should “cut out” items from my diet such as coffee, alcohol, citrus, chocolate, and artificial sweeteners, amongst many…
What Everyone with Lichen Sclerosus Needs
By Dr. Jaclyn Lanthier, Founder, The Lost Labia Chronicles Lichen sclerosus is a chronic, inflammatory skin condition that the medical community considers an autoimmune disease. While it can affect the extragenital skin (e.g., abdomen, chest), it primarily affects the genitals…
Male Factor Fertility 101
By Dr. Aisling Lanigan, ND Fertility is often thought of as a women’s issue. As a Naturopathic Doctor with a focus on fertility, I can count on one hand how many times I have seen a male partner before a…
The Endometriosis Diet: Foods to Eat and Foods to Avoid
By Dr. Jessica Drummond, DCN, CNS, PT, NBC-HWC, Author of Outsmart Endometriosis As a nutritionist with a specialty in endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain, one of the most common questions I am asked is, “What is the best endometriosis diet?”…
Exploring Hormone and Non-Hormone Treatments for Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause
By Dr. Kara Dionisio, Naturopathic Doctor & North American Menopause Society Certified Practitioner I’ll never forget the day my patient told me her vagina had “gone Gobi”. I wasn’t quite sure what she meant until she clarified, “Dr. Kara, like…
Posture ReEducation
By Trista Zinn, Founder, Coreset Fitness/Director & Owner, Hypopressives Canada Correcting ones posture has a significant impact on all things related to our respiratory function, core and pelvic health. We can’t talk about posture without mentioning our core. The relationship…
7 Unique Self-Care Tools For Women Living With Chronic Pelvic Pain
By Sarah Elspeth, IC Warrior, Psychotherapist, Nutrition and Health Coach I get it; chronic pelvic pain sucks. I’ve been living with chronic pelvic pain for three years and it took me a long time to find the proper methods for…
4 Surprising Facts About Recurrent UTI
By Melissa Kramer, Founder, Live UTI Free Despite how common recurrent UTI is, there is still much that is not understood about the bladder, its microbiome and the immune system response. There are some exciting new developments in this area…
The Role of Mindfulness in Pelvic Organ Prolapse Recovery
By Lara Desrosiers, MSc, OT One major challenge that often comes alongside the Pelvic Organ Prolapse experience is something that I like to call the “POP Hijack”. This describes the many ways that prolapse sensations, activities to manage or control…
Addressing the Trauma in Persistent Pelvic Pain
By Kathleen Pratt, MSW, RSW, Trauma Sensitive Yoga Instructor Pelvic pain and trauma. Three words that typically aren’t used together. However, the more I delve into and think about the topic of pelvic pain, the more I am convinced that we need…
Helpful Tips to Prevent Recurrent UTIs
By Utiva Health What is more annoying than a UTI? You guessed it, a cycle of recurring UTIs. As many as 40% of women who have one UTI will get another. If you have persistent symptoms of urinary tract infections,…
Types of Incontinence (Yes, there are more than one!)
By Brittney Legere, Corelife Wellness After years of silence around pelvic floor health, the stigma is slowly but surely being erased. Finally, women who experience leakage or “peeing a little” have materials to educate themselves and they’re learning that incontinence…
Taking a Biopsychosocial Approach: Does it Matter?
By Carolyn Vandyken, Pelvic PT, Educator, Author There are two camps in treating pain: Tissue-based Camp of Treatment Providers treat the tissues alone believing that there must be something bio-medically wrong with the tissues; if they can only mobilize, zap…
How Meditation Can Help Relieve Chronic Pelvic Pain
By Sarah Elspeth, Psychotherapist, Nutrition and Health Coach, Yoga Instructor Pelvic pain is debilitating and relentless, often dramatically affecting one’s quality of life. Treatment of this challenging illness is complicated, and health professionals’ understanding is limited. Interestingly, it can often…
Learn to Cough with Confidence
By Lara Desrosiers, MSc. OT Reg. (Ont.) Lara’s Top 4 Coughing Tips When you are dealing with leaking, pelvic organ prolapse or both, bouts of illness that involve a lot of coughing are no fun. One thing that can be…
The Effect of Diet on Urine pH
By Callie Krajcir, Registered Dietititan, IC Warrior Did you know that the foods and beverages you consume have a direct effect on your bladder symptoms? The human body is an amazing thing. It has the ability to break down the nutrients…
Constipation: What Can We Do About It?
By Katie Ruebush PT, DPT What is Constipation? Bloating Abdominal pain Rectal pain Pelvic pressure Hard, small stools that require pushing and straining to eliminate If you’ve ever been constipated, these symptoms might sound familiar. Nothing feels good when you…
How To Be Intimate With IC Without Causing a Flare
By Callie Krajcir, Registered Dietitian, IC Warrior One of the most common things I get asked from IC sufferers is, “How can I reduce the risk of flaring after having sex with my partner?” IC affects many aspects of a…
What Can Happen When a Nervous System Gets TOO Sensitive?
By Kathleen Pratt, MSW, RSW When we have pain, the tendency is to focus on trying to find out what’s wrong in the tissues. With persistent (chronic) pain lasting more than several months, it can be more helpful to look…
Vulvodynia: A Complex Pain Syndrome
By Keri Martin Vrbanac, Pelvic PT The vulva is the external part of the female genitals, and it is made up of the labia, the clitoris, the vaginal opening, and the urethral opening. Many people refer to the vulva as…
Uterine Fibroids: Natural Treatments That Really Work
By Stefanie Trowell, ND Uterine fibroids are a little different than some other pelvic health concerns. They vary in size, shape, number and location within the uterus. And while they’re incredibly common during a woman’s reproductive years, (some studies say…
Expert Tips for Managing IC Flares
By Callie Krajcir, Registered Dietitian Do you ever go from your bladder feeling happy and healthy to it feeling extremely angry and painful? Do you ever go to bed feeling fine just to wake up in the middle of the…
Pregnancy-Related Pelvic Girdle Pain: What does it have to do with the Pelvis?
By Sinead DuFour, PT, PhD Pain in the pelvic region of the body is common among pregnant women and can be experienced well into the postpartum period. The traditional thinking that has dominated implicates the hormone relaxin as a key…
Super-Strength Aloe Vera and Health Canada: What You Need to Know
By Heather Florio, CEO Desert Harvest Desert Harvest is seeking approval from Health Canada for use of its Super-Strength Aloe Vera Capsules in the treatment of Interstitial Cystitis (IC)/Bladder Pain Syndrome (BPS). If approved, this could be a huge step…
Littles Have Pelvic Floors Too!
By Keri Martin Vrbanac, Pelvic PT One of my favourite populations to work with are the littles. I have had some of my most enlightening pelvic floor conversations with people under the age of nine! There are a considerable number…
How Vaginal Dilators Work & What They Do
By Amanda Olson DPT, PRPC Vaginal dilators, also referred to as trainers, are a helpful tool to train both the body and the brain to tolerate pain free penetration. For vagina owners with scar tissue, adhesions, post-cancer vaginal stenosis, vaginal atrophy…
All About PhysioYoga
By Shelly Prosko PT, C-IAYT, CPI What is PhysioYoga? An approach to rehabilitation that combines evidence informed physiotherapy and yoga therapy, resulting in a holistic or biopsychosocial approach to your rehabilitation experience. Physiotherapy is a well-respected healthcare profession that uses…
Male Pelvic Pain: The Prostate Gland has been “Framed”
By Carolyn Vandyken, PT, Educator, Researcher & Author We usually come across Shakespeare’s “What is in a name?” quote when people are trying to explain that names don’t really matter; that all you need to know is what something is,…
The 6 Stages of Toilet Meditation
By Shelly Prosko, PT, Yoga therapist, Pioneer of PhysioYoga Mindfulness practices are gaining popularity and even appear to be quite trendy these days. Perhaps it is because we know, and have experienced, that there is tremendous value in being present…
