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Your Gut and Your Pelvic Floor: The Connection You Didn’t Know About

When most people think about pelvic floor symptoms, they think about leakage, pregnancy, core weakness, and pelvic pain.

Woman in a black crop top and shorts holding her abdomen, illustrating digestive symptoms such as bloating, constipation, and abdominal pressure.

What many don’t realize is that the gut and pelvic floor are deeply connected. In fact, digestive symptoms and pelvic floor dysfunction often go hand in hand.


If you experience:

  • Constipation

  • Bloating

  • Straining

  • IBS symptoms

  • Pelvic pressure

  • Painful bowel movements

  • Incomplete emptying

  • Abdominal discomfort

  • Pelvic pain

…your pelvic floor may be part of the conversation.


Your Pelvic Floor Helps Control Bowel Function

The pelvic floor is a group of muscles at the base of the pelvis that supports the bladder, bowel, and reproductive organs. These muscles help:

  • Support internal organs

  • Control continence

  • Coordinate pressure within the abdomen

  • Relax during bowel movements

  • Work with breathing and core function


Woman in a white robe sitting on a toilet in a bright bathroom, representing bowel health, constipation symptoms, and pelvic floor function.

For healthy bowel movements to occur, the pelvic floor must be able to:

1. Relax

2. Lengthen

3. Coordinate with the abdominal muscles and diaphragm


When that coordination is disrupted, bowel symptoms can develop.


Constipation Is More Than “Not Drinking Enough Water”


Many people are told constipation is simply caused by dehydration or diet. While nutrition absolutely matters, constipation can also involve:


  • Pelvic floor muscle tension

  • Poor coordination

  • Chronic straining

  • Nervous system stress

  • Pain-related guarding

  • Habitual holding patterns

  • Postpartum changes

  • Surgery or scar tissue


Sometimes the pelvic floor muscles actually tighten instead of relaxing during bowel movements.


This is called pelvic floor dyssynergia, and it can make emptying difficult even when stool consistency is normal.


Straining Affects the Pelvic Floor

Repeated straining places significant pressure on the pelvic floor over time.

This can contribute to:

  • Hemorrhoids

  • Pelvic organ prolapse

  • Pelvic pressure

  • Leakage

  • Pelvic pain

  • Increased muscle tension

  • Difficulty fully emptying


Many people don’t realize that years of “pushing harder” may actually worsen the cycle.

Often, the body needs improved coordination — not more force.


Bloating and Abdominal Pressure Matter Too

Persistent bloating and abdominal pressure can also affect the pelvic floor. When pressure within the abdomen increases repeatedly, the pelvic floor has to respond constantly.


Over time, this may contribute to:

  • Feelings of heaviness

  • Core dysfunction

  • Pressure symptoms

  • Tension and guarding

  • Discomfort with movement


The body functions as a pressure system, meaning the diaphragm, abdominal muscles, pelvic floor, and deep core all work together. If one part becomes overloaded or poorly coordinated, other areas often compensate.


Stress Impacts Both the Gut and Pelvic Floor

One of the most overlooked connections is the nervous system.


Stress can affect:

  • Digestion

  • Gut motility

  • Muscle tension

  • Breathing patterns

  • Pain sensitivity

  • Pelvic floor resting tone


Many people unknowingly “hold” stress in their abdomen and pelvic floor.

This may show up as:

  • Clenching

  • Shallow breathing

  • Constipation

  • Pelvic tension

  • Increased urgency

  • Pain flare-ups


The gut and nervous system communicate constantly through what’s often called the “gut-brain connection.” This means emotional stress can absolutely influence physical symptoms.


Signs Your Pelvic Floor May Be Involved

Some signs that pelvic floor dysfunction may be contributing to bowel symptoms include straining with bowel movements, feeling unable to fully empty, pain during bowel movements, constipation despite dietary changes, needing to change positions to empty, pelvic pressure or heaviness, painful bloating, leakage or urgency, and pelvic pain alongside digestive symptoms.


These symptoms are more common than many people realize — and they are treatable.


How Pelvic Floor Physical Therapy Can Help

At Auria Pelvic Health, pelvic floor physical therapy looks at the body as a whole system.


Woman stretching in a fitness studio, representing the connection between movement, core function, pelvic floor health, and overall wellness.

Treatment may include:

  • Breathing and pressure management

  • Pelvic floor relaxation and coordination

  • Manual therapy

  • Bowel habit education

  • Toilet positioning strategies

  • Nervous system regulation

  • Core and hip coordination

  • Movement retraining

The goal is to improve function, reduce strain, and help the body work more efficiently — not forcefully.


Healing Starts With Understanding

Digestive symptoms can feel frustrating and embarrassing, especially when they’ve been dismissed or normalized for years. But your symptoms are not random.


The gut, pelvic floor, core, breathing system, and nervous system are all connected — and understanding that connection can change the way we approach healing.



If you’ve been struggling with constipation, bloating, pelvic pressure, or bowel-related pelvic pain, your pelvic floor may deserve attention too. You do not have to simply “live with it.”


At Auria Pelvic Health, we help patients better understand the relationship between the gut, nervous system, core, and pelvic floor so they can feel more comfortable, supported, and confident in their bodies again.



Auria Pelvic Health

8929 S Sepulveda Blvd., Ste. 412

Los Angeles, CA 90045

Phone: 310-505-6096

Auria Pelvic Health logo


Article Written By Dr. Sasha Speer, DPT


 
 
 

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