How Does the Pelvic Floor Work?

The pelvic floor is a group of muscles working together to support the contents of your abdomen. The muscles look like a hammock spread across the bottom opening of your pelvis. Two sphincters (openings) in the muscle open and close to allow the passage of waste products. In women, a third sphincter allows access to the uterus. When the muscle is strong, it easily supports the weight of the pelvic contents and the sphincters prevent waste products from exiting the body unintentionally.

When you tighten the pelvic floor muscles during a kegel exercise, you close these sphincters preventing the flow of urine. This is why many women find it easy to learn how to locate the muscle by trying to stop the flow of urine while peeing.

In contrast, relaxing the muscle opens the sphincters, allowing passage of urine, feces or a baby as need be. Some people find they have little control over the relaxing of the muscle and so are unable to use the bathroom when startled or if other people are in the room. Exercising the pelvic floor can help you gain control of the relaxation as well as strengthening the muscle.

When the pelvic floor muscle is weak, the pelvic contents sag the muscle, compressing the vagina, causing the skin to sag and increasing its risk of tearing. When weak, the sagging muscle is less effective at controlling the sphincters, causing urine leakage during coughing, sneezing or laughing.

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