Your Body, Your Voice: Informed Consent in Pelvic Health

A few months ago, I went to see a new healthcare provider to talk about some changes I’ve noticed in my energy. Early in the visit, I was asked if I had any weight-related goals.

“No,” I said. My focus these days has been on strength, not size.

Then came the next step: being weighed.

And without thinking, I went along with it.

Later, I found myself wondering why. Why was I weighed when I had already said weight wasn’t a concern? Why didn’t I pause to ask what role that information would play in my care?

The truth is, even as a healthcare provider myself, my default mode in that moment was to be a “good patient.” I didn’t want to be a bother. I didn’t want to question the expert.

That small experience stayed with me — because it reminded me how easy it is to slip into patterns of shrinking ourselves in healthcare spaces, especially when we’ve been conditioned to defer to authority or to make things easy for others.

Why It’s Hard to Speak Up

It’s not that you don’t want to advocate for yourself. Many of us have been taught—explicitly or not—that questioning a professional means being “difficult.” In pelvic health, where care can involve intimate discussions or physical assessments, it can feel even harder to speak up when something doesn’t feel right.

You might freeze. You might tell yourself, “They must know best.” You might fear being judged or dismissed.

These reactions aren’t signs of weakness. They’re nervous-system responses—your body’s way of trying to keep you safe in a moment that feels vulnerable.

Moving Toward Taking Up Space

Advocating for yourself in healthcare starts with attunement — noticing what your body, thoughts, and emotions are telling you. When you slow down and listen to those cues, it becomes easier to recognize when something doesn’t feel right or when you need more information.
From that place of awareness, you can ask questions, seek clarification, or express your needs with greater confidence.

Here are a few ways to begin:

• Pause before you agree: Take a breath. Ask, “Can you tell me how this will help guide my care?”
• Remember: consent is ongoing: You can change your mind at any time. Saying yes once doesn’t mean saying yes forever
• Ask for clarity: “What are my options?” or “Is there another way to approach this?” are powerful questions
• Notice your body: If you feel tense, rushed, or uneasy, that’s information from your nervous system. You’re allowed to slow things down
• Bring a support person or notes: Sometimes having backup makes it easier to remember what you wanted to ask

Each pause to notice and honour your own signals is a quiet act of reclaiming safety, trust, and agency in your care.

A Note for Healthcare Providers

If you’re reading this as a clinician, consider how often we move through our own default modes. Do we explain why an assessment or intervention matters? Do we make space for questions and choice, or do we rush to fill the silence?

Every pause to check in and invite choice helps rewrite the story of healthcare as a shared process rather than a hierarchy.

It lightens the weight on both sides — allowing clients to feel safer and providers to work with more presence, partnership, and ease.

Closing Thoughts

Whether you’re sitting on an exam table or standing beside it as a provider, informed consent isn’t just a checkbox — it’s an ongoing act of respect, collaboration, and humanity.

We all deserve care that honours both our autonomy and our bodies’ wisdom.

If you’re navigating pelvic health challenges and want support in understanding your options and reconnecting with your body’s cues, book a discovery call to see whether Occupational Therapy could be a good fit for you.

If you’re a healthcare provider wanting to deepen your understanding of trauma-informed pelvic health care, check out the Trauma-Informed Pelvic Health Certification— a program designed to help pelvic health clinicians bring more safety, collaboration, and humanity into their practice.

Lara Desrosiers is an Occupational Therapist and owner of Pelvic Resilience. She supports individuals across Ontario struggling with pain and pelvic health challenges to get back to living life.